Đỗ Đức Duy, minister of newly merged Agriculture and Environment Ministry. — Photo courtesy of MoNRE

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly has approved Đỗ Đức Duy, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, as the new Minister of Agriculture and Environment following the merger of two ministries.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment was established by combining the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. It retains their core functions while also taking over poverty reduction policies previously managed by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs.

Duy assumes this role after six months leading the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

The newly formed ministry aims to ensure smooth operations from the outset, maintaining policy continuity and effective governance. It will focus on macroeconomic management, decentralisation, and regulatory oversight while overseeing agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land and water resources, environmental protection, climate change, and disaster prevention.

As part of the restructuring, the ministry has been streamlined from 53 units to 30, making it one of the most consolidated government bodies. It now comprises 26 administrative agencies and four public service units, including the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Strategy and Policy and the National Agricultural Extension Centre.

Born in 1970 in Thái Bình Province, Duy holds a master’s degree in construction and is a member of the 13th Party Central Committee and the 15th National Assembly. He previously worked as a structural engineer and lecturer and held key positions at the Ministry of Construction and in Yên Bái Province. — VNS