HCM CITY — The first International Agriculture Festival and Fair of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta will be organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology from March 9 to 13 in Cần Thơ city.

It will feature 300-500 booths set up by local and international exhibitors operating in agricultural and agriculture-related sectors.

The event aims to support agricultural development in the delta through research and use of technology and building trademarks.

It will include an exhibition of farm produce and technologies, a seminar on using technologies to improve productivity and quality, a programme to connect suppliers and buyers of agricultural technologies and equipment, a cooking contest, and other events.

Trương Quang Hoài Nam, deputy chairman of the Cần Thơ People’s Committee, said the festival is an important event that would create opportunities for enterprises, scientists and officials to meet, share experiences and enhance co-operation in research and use of technology to increase the agricultural sector’s competitiveness.

In a letter to the organisers, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường said amidst the farm sector’s restructuring efforts to increase value addition and ensure development in line with the new-style rural area building, the festival is expected to promote smart production in the region as envisaged by the Party and State.

The delta, which has 13 cities and provinces, plays an important role in the country’s agrarian economy, accounting for 80 per cent of rice exports and nearly 60 per cent seafood exports. — VNS