A cashew processing line at Nhat Huy company in the southern province of Binh Duong (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam needs support from international partnersto cope with losses due to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic,according to an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(MARD).
DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said 2020 was adifficult year when the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition tothe human damage, COVID-19 also had a strong impact on all economies around theworld, including Vietnam.
Thepandemic is likely to continue to have an impact, breaking some raw materialsupply and consumption chains of agricultural, forestry and fishery productsand increasing demand for those products. It also delays the negotiation andconclusion of measures to promote market opening between Vietnam and othercountries, and raises non-tariff market barriers due to concerns of diseaseoutbreaks and recurrences, Doanh said.
Therequirements for quality of goods and services and the requirements of foodhygiene and safety are also increasing, he said.
Insuch a context, MARD strives to implement the dual goals set by the Government,focusing its efforts on implementing measures to prevent COVID-19 and achievingeconomic development.
Ofwhich, the ISG 2020 Plenary Meeting is an important event for MARD to share itsdirection for development in the future, calling upon the internationalcommunity to contribute to implementing solutions to cope with COVID-19 in theagriculture and rural development sector, Doanh said.
TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in cooperation with theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and InternationalAgricultural Development Fund (IFAD), organised the ISG 2020 PlenaryMeeting with the theme: "Vietnam's agriculture and rural developmentin the context of COVID-19 impacts: Opportunities and challenges" in HàNội on December 11.
Atthe meeting, Doanh said MARD and international partners made a jointstatement on cooperation for Vietnam's agricultural and rural development inthe context of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the joint statement, theministry would work with each partner to build projects and programmes onsupporting the development of the agriculture sector.
Inaddition, Doanh said Vietnam's agriculture will continue to restructure,utilising technology in the Industry 4.0 era, while taking advantage of foreigndirect investment and creating better connections with the export terminals;empowering its position in the supply chain, increasing the value-added contentand enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products.
Despiteextraordinary success in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus within thecountry, Vietnam’s economy and agriculture sector is and will continue to beaffected, said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Vietnam Resident Representative.
InUNDP’s recent survey, 71 percent of respondents in the agriculture sector noteda significant reduction in their income due to COVID-19. It is vital toconsider multiple risk factors to those rural communities most affected by thispandemic.
"COVID-19and climate change can be turned into opportunities to transform theagriculture sector. This is also an unprecedented opportunity to unlock massiveeconomic and social benefits, trigger green agriculture employment byintroducing, for example, green stimulation policy support packages as part ofthe MARD’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan," she said.
Itis important for agriculture businesses and farmers to be prepared for themultiple risks of climate extremes and COVID-19. Vietnam has a track record ofintroducing agricultural insurance as one of the key risk transfer mechanisms,she said. For example, the National Agriculture Insurance Pilot Programme(NAIPP) has covered over 300,000 households in 20 provinces focusing on rice,livestock, and aquaculture insurance.
UNDPis currently cooperating with MARD in further strengthening the risk-transferschemes, expanding options for farmers, SMEs and businesses to effectively copewith future losses and shocks.
Doanhsaid MARD worked closely with ministries, agencies, localities andinternational organisations to adopt timely and effective measures to solvedifficulties in production and business due to the pandemic.
Asa result, farm produce exports were estimated at 37.42 billion USD in thefirst 11 months of this year, up 2.4 percent annually.
Hecalled on the domestic agriculture sector to take comprehensive and flexiblemeasures to ensure food security, maintain growth and export, improvelivelihoods and income of rural residents, and propel sustainable development,during which international support is needed./.
DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said 2020 was adifficult year when the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition tothe human damage, COVID-19 also had a strong impact on all economies around theworld, including Vietnam.
Thepandemic is likely to continue to have an impact, breaking some raw materialsupply and consumption chains of agricultural, forestry and fishery productsand increasing demand for those products. It also delays the negotiation andconclusion of measures to promote market opening between Vietnam and othercountries, and raises non-tariff market barriers due to concerns of diseaseoutbreaks and recurrences, Doanh said.
Therequirements for quality of goods and services and the requirements of foodhygiene and safety are also increasing, he said.
Insuch a context, MARD strives to implement the dual goals set by the Government,focusing its efforts on implementing measures to prevent COVID-19 and achievingeconomic development.
Ofwhich, the ISG 2020 Plenary Meeting is an important event for MARD to share itsdirection for development in the future, calling upon the internationalcommunity to contribute to implementing solutions to cope with COVID-19 in theagriculture and rural development sector, Doanh said.
TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in cooperation with theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and InternationalAgricultural Development Fund (IFAD), organised the ISG 2020 PlenaryMeeting with the theme: "Vietnam's agriculture and rural developmentin the context of COVID-19 impacts: Opportunities and challenges" in HàNội on December 11.
Atthe meeting, Doanh said MARD and international partners made a jointstatement on cooperation for Vietnam's agricultural and rural development inthe context of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the joint statement, theministry would work with each partner to build projects and programmes onsupporting the development of the agriculture sector.
Inaddition, Doanh said Vietnam's agriculture will continue to restructure,utilising technology in the Industry 4.0 era, while taking advantage of foreigndirect investment and creating better connections with the export terminals;empowering its position in the supply chain, increasing the value-added contentand enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products.
Despiteextraordinary success in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus within thecountry, Vietnam’s economy and agriculture sector is and will continue to beaffected, said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Vietnam Resident Representative.
InUNDP’s recent survey, 71 percent of respondents in the agriculture sector noteda significant reduction in their income due to COVID-19. It is vital toconsider multiple risk factors to those rural communities most affected by thispandemic.
"COVID-19and climate change can be turned into opportunities to transform theagriculture sector. This is also an unprecedented opportunity to unlock massiveeconomic and social benefits, trigger green agriculture employment byintroducing, for example, green stimulation policy support packages as part ofthe MARD’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan," she said.
Itis important for agriculture businesses and farmers to be prepared for themultiple risks of climate extremes and COVID-19. Vietnam has a track record ofintroducing agricultural insurance as one of the key risk transfer mechanisms,she said. For example, the National Agriculture Insurance Pilot Programme(NAIPP) has covered over 300,000 households in 20 provinces focusing on rice,livestock, and aquaculture insurance.
UNDPis currently cooperating with MARD in further strengthening the risk-transferschemes, expanding options for farmers, SMEs and businesses to effectively copewith future losses and shocks.
Doanhsaid MARD worked closely with ministries, agencies, localities andinternational organisations to adopt timely and effective measures to solvedifficulties in production and business due to the pandemic.
Asa result, farm produce exports were estimated at 37.42 billion USD in thefirst 11 months of this year, up 2.4 percent annually.
Hecalled on the domestic agriculture sector to take comprehensive and flexiblemeasures to ensure food security, maintain growth and export, improvelivelihoods and income of rural residents, and propel sustainable development,during which international support is needed./.
VNA
