An overview of the 11th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Hangzhou on August 25. — VNA/VNS Photo

BEIJING — Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trịnh Việt Hùng proposed four key directions for cooperation at the 11th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting, which took place in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.

The meeting, bringing together agricultural leaders from the 21 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) member economies was regarded as one of the most strategically significant events in the APEC 2026 agenda, as the region accounts for nearly half of global food production and trade.

The Vietnamese minister proposed more resilient agri-food value chains and stronger innovation and digital transformation, including the wider use of AI, big data, biotechnology and precision agriculture. He also called for more investment to scale up pilot models, along with greater knowledge sharing, capacity building and closer cooperation among APEC forums.

Hùng also underscored the decisive role of science and technology and digital transformation in improving the quality and resilience of agriculture.

He called on member economies to pursue three breakthrough transitions: from digital agriculture to digital agri-food systems; from individual technology trials to scalable solutions; and from isolated innovation efforts to the development of an APEC innovation partnership network.

Việt Nam’s proposals received broad support and consensus from participating economies. Several members expressed their desire to work with Việt Nam to further build consensus, with a view to ensuring that the APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Việt Nam in 2027 will produce a shared vision and a substantive action programme.

At the conclusion of the meeting, ministers agreed to issue the Hangzhou Joint Statement, reaffirming their determination to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community.

The statement affirmed that food security remains a shared priority, while urging economies to strengthen cooperation based on science, technology and innovation; manage natural resources effectively; facilitate agricultural trade; and increase investment in agriculture.

As part of the meeting, Nguyễn Đỗ Anh Tuấn, director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, officially introduced the Proposed Orientation for APEC Cooperation on Agriculture and Food Security in 2027, themed “Innovative and Resilient Agri-Food Systems for Shared Prosperity”, marking an important preparatory step for Việt Nam’s hosting of APEC 2027. — VNA/VNS