The agricultural sector will continue to implement the Party Central Committee’s resolution on actively coping with climate change in the 2013-2020 period.

It will also integrate natural disaster prevention and climate change adaptation to socio-economic strategies and plans in particular regions and localities, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at a seminar on the sector’s opportunities and challenges in coping with climate change in Hanoi on September 10.

According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, the agricultural sector, farmers and disadvantaged people are the most vulnerable to climate change.

Realising the sector’s opportunities and challenges, the ministry built programmes and projects in conjunction with other ministries, branches and localities with international assistance to implement the activities, creating positive changes in the fight against climate change.

According to UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta, Vietnam has gained successes in tackling climate change. However, the negative impacts of the economic downturn, macro challenges and the greenhouse effect continue to hinder the country’s ability to cope with the issue, she added.

Vietnam is one of the nations most seriously affected by climate change and with 70 percent of the population dependent on agriculture, the sector should first take actions in irrigation, seafood and farming, the UN chief said.

She added that the Forest Administration should finalise a mechanism for the fund regarding the reduction of emissions from deforestation in order to implement an action plan against climate change.-VNA