Netherlands helps Vietnam develop sustainable agriculture
Ho Chi Minh
City (VNA) – Netherlands’ Consulate General in HCM City on March 20
organised a talk to share the European country’s experience in developing
sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change.
According to
Marjolijn Sonnema, Deputy Minister in charge of agriculture of the Dutch
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dutch enterprises have a lot of experience in
developing sustainable agriculture and are willing to assist the development of
the sector in Vietnam.
A representative
of the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam said in order to implement projects on
developing sustainable agriculture, the private sector’s participation is
important in the context of diminishing ODA and limited State budget.
Dutch experts
were of the view that it is necessary to promote industrialization of agriculture,
enhance the quality of products instead of quantity and guide farmers in using water
resources properly in production in order to achieve sustainable development.
Business
representatives shared information on feasible solutions to increase rice crop productivity
in the Mekong Delta in the context of drought and saline intrusion, initiatives
on sustainable production chains and the needs for training in the agricultural
sector, among others.
A representative
at the East West Seed Company said at the current population growth in the
world, by 2050, in order to meet demand on food, agricultural productivity must
increase 70 percent. Therefore, new high yield food crop varieties suitable
with natural conditions are needed, he said, stressing that the needs of small
farming households should be taken into consideration during the process.
Director of
Nedspice Vietnam Willem Van Walt Meijer said farmers will earn more profit when
joining production chains for quality products of clear origins. His company is
carrying out a project on the sustainable cultivation of pepper with the
participation of 500 farmer households in the southeast province of Binh Phuoc.
In the past
years, Vietnam and Netherlands have signed many agreements on agriculture, food
security, climate change and water resource management.-VNA