HÀ NỘI - Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng has aprroved a draft national action programme on zero hunger towards 2025 proposed by the National Steering Committee for the programme.

Dũng, also head of the National Steering Committee for Zero Hunger Action Programme, urged ministries and sectors to study and prepare the final draft for submission to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc for approval.

Ministries and sectors have been told to implement its content immediately after the action programme is approved.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which chairs National Steering Committee for Zero Hunger Action Programme, has been asked to work with ministries of finance, planning and investment to clarify financial sources for the action programme and submit it to the PM for approval in the first quarter of this year.

It will be also responsible for  completing a draft regulation on the committee’s operation and tasks to submit to the Deputy Prime Minister for approval.

The National Steering Committee for Zero Hunger Action Programme has been required to implement a mechanism of meeting, reporting and co-operating, combining national target programmes with national action programme.

The National Action Programme on Zero Hunger started in 2014 in response to the ‘Zero Hunger Challenge’ of the United Nations, an initiative to eradicate hunger worldwide.

Việt Nam’s action programme targets ensuring enough food and nutrition for all citizens towards improved physical and intellectual health and towards fulfilling sustainable development goals of food security and sustainable agricultural development.

There are five specifics targets under the action programme, including ensuring food and nutrition for people year round, no malnutrition among children under two, development of a sustainable food system, most small-scale farmers enjoying increase in productivity and income and no wastefulness and loss of food.  

Funds for the programme will be mobilised from international donors as well as allocations made to target programmes earmarked by the Government.

The country has implemented the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for 2016-2020, which aims to cut the national poverty rate by 1-1.5 per cent each year based on multi-dimensional poverty criteria.

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Việt Nam’s poverty rate reduced from 46.9 per cent in 1990-1992 to 9 per cent in 2010-2012. The number of poor households nationwide reduced to 7 per cent by the end of 2017, according to Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

However, the country still faces several problems such as high malnutrition rate and micronutrient deficits. - VNS