Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan (second from left) and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu (second right) at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding to establish a framework for enhancing cooperations. — Photo nongnghiep.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has benefitted from over 400 projects supporting sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries, providing essential training to stabilise livelihoods and drive post-war socio-economic growth.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan expressed gratitude to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, on behalf of all Vietnamese farmers for over 45 years of support during a high-level meeting with its delegation in Hà Nội on Thursday.

In 2024, Việt Nam’s agricultural sector reaffirmed its role as the backbone of the economy, ensuring food security, providing stability in society and securing livelihoods for over 60 per cent of the rural population.

Contributing 11.86 per cent to the national GDP and providing employment for nearly 30 per cent of the workforce, the sector continues to benefit from international partnerships, including FAO in its pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG1 (No poverty) and SDG2 (Zero hunger).

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu commended Việt Nam’s active participation in FAO-led projects at regional and global levels. He emphasised the need for a transformational mindset to achieve breakthroughs in the country’s agricultural sector.

“Innovation and a global perspective are the strengths of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The next step should focus on synchronised sectoral development, gradually building a green agricultural economy to elevate Việt Nam’s standing on the global agricultural map,” Qu said.

He noted that thriving agricultural systems often stem from developing local products, such as those under Việt Nam’s One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme. This approach enhances value chains and lays the groundwork for creating ‘green cities’ in rural areas, improving social welfare.

Việt Nam is restructuring its agricultural sector to enhance value-added production and ensure sustainability in response to trade liberalisation, climate change, and food loss prevention.

In 2024, 45 domestic and international partners signed the Food Systems Transformation Partnership Agreement, reinforcing their commitment to sustainable agriculture.

A key initiative, the ‘Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Linked to Green Growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030’, is establishing a high-standard rice production region that boosts farmers' incomes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Qu praised this initiative and suggested that Việt Nam expand the model to other sectors, including agricultural produce, forestry, and fisheries.

“We are closely monitoring Việt Nam’s institutional changes and hope that the planned merger of the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment will create a strong foundation for transformation. In today’s economic landscape, environmental sustainability and food security must go hand in hand,” he said.

Strengthening cooperation

For over two decades, Việt Nam has actively engaged in South-South Cooperation (SSC), and FAO sees this as an opportune moment for the country to expand its influence in global food security, alongside China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and India.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) received a record number of African ministers and ambassadors in 2024.

Minister Hoan expressed hopes that FAO’s resources would further enhance these collaborations.

“Current projects remain small in scale, focusing primarily on technical assistance in areas such as rice, cultivation, and irrigation. Moving forward, we aim to expand cooperation through South-South and trilateral mechanisms beyond individual projects,” he said.

He underscored the importance of Vietnamese experts, particularly those with deep knowledge of African culture, economy and challenges, in ensuring the success of SSC.

Việt Nam is also prepared to establish a SSC Centre for the Asia-Pacific region, with FAO playing a key role in mobilising financial resources. This initiative would enable Vietnamese agricultural specialists to provide technical expertise, pilot projects and share best practices with African nations.

“FAO is committed to supporting Việt Nam’s deeper involvement in SSC, which will benefit both the country and the broader Global South,” Qu affirmed.

During the meeting, the MARD and FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for strengthened collaboration in South-South and trilateral cooperation.

Key priority areas for joint efforts include technical assistance in agriculture, food security and nutrition, resource management technology, One Health initiatives, food safety, agroecology and action to tackle climate change. — VNS