At the “Conference on International Agricultural Cooperation” held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development last weekend, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that it is necessary to recognize the program projects in the field of agriculture is a national asset, The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is only a trustee entity, so it must assert its full responsibility for bringing benefits to the country.

PREPARATION OF 14 NEW PROJECTS WITH CAPITAL 3.2 BILLION USD

Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said, “International cooperation is playing an increasingly important role as it supports market expansion and attracts resources. Thereby improving competitiveness, creating conditions for increasing income and jobs for farmers, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of Vietnam and the world.

To date, Vietnam has joined 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) and continues to negotiate new free trade agreements with Israel and Canada. Basically, Vietnam has so far signed FTAs ​​with all major agro-forestry and fisheries export markets, which help companies gain a price competitive advantage (due to tax cuts) when exporting to the global market.

The signing and implementation of free trade agreements have created great opportunities for exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products. Over the past 10 years, Vietnam’s export turnover in agriculture, forestry and fisheries has grown from USD 27.4 billion in 2013 to USD 53.2 billion in 2022 (average growth rate of 9.4%/year).

In 2022, while there are many changes in the world such as the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict leading to an energy and fertilizer crisis, the impact of climate change, Vietnam’s turnover in agriculture, forestry – and fisheries exports continue to hit a new record.

The director of the International Cooperation Department said that the agricultural sector has been actively promoting the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) and official development assistance (ODA); Sharing experience in building and transferring technology to help the agricultural sector accelerate the process of accessing advanced science, leadership and modern economic management, especially in the age of the industrial revolution.The fourth industry is getting stronger.

Work to attract ODA capital was actively encouraged. By the end of 2022, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved many proposed projects or investment guidelines with a total loan of $840 million. The ministry also coordinated with companies to prepare 14 new project proposals with a total capital of US$3.2 billion.

Mentioning new points in international cooperation last year, Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan said he had done a good job of bringing intellectuals and information together with the following initiatives: One Health Partnership Group; international support group for green agriculture, conservation and management of natural resources; Mekong Delta Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Coordination Group, Public-Private Partnership Group for Agricultural Development.

At the beginning of 2023, in order to make the most of Vietnam’s agriculture strengths, said the director of the Department of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to build a sustainable development brand and fulfill Vietnam’s commitments at COP26, COP27 implement.

The industry is particularly focused on aligning with green agriculture, circular economy and mobilizing external resources to promote the reputation and improve the standing of Vietnamese agriculture.

“The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has set a target that agricultural, forestry and fisheries exports will reach US$70 billion by 2030; attracting foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector reached $25 billion; Loan extraction reached US$5 billion, grant aid reached US$1 billion,” shared Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan.

The strategy also aims for Vietnamese agriculture to lead at least one global or regional initiative. Every year a new technology or a new production organization model is transferred. At least 500 civil servants, students and interns are trained abroad every year.

MUST TRUST INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, who chaired the conference, underlined: International cooperation must always be one step ahead, to be ready to meet all challenges and seize all opportunities in creative ways to to effectively serve the policy of the party and state for the theme of “Three Agriculture”, which revolves around 3 pillars: organic agriculture – modern landscape – intelligent farmers.

In order to achieve the goals of the strategy for international cooperation in agriculture with a vision to 2030, the commander of the sector of agriculture and rural development said that it is necessary to recognize international cooperation programs and projects as assets The development is only a fiduciary entity , so it must assert its full responsibility for bringing benefits to the country.

“It is necessary to value international cooperation projects to make an impact and add value to Vietnam’s agribusiness. The impact of collaborative projects must also be assessed comprehensively and not just considered as independent of whether the project is big or small, the budget is big or small, the size of a region or of many places, the absorptive capacity of the project with new mechanisms and approaches for agriculture in Vietnam,” said Minister Le Minh Hoan.

According to the minister, international resources must be directed towards improving the position and competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in order to gain market shares in large and high-income markets such as the United States, EU, China, etc. Korea, Canada. .. Need for diversification of export markets towards ASEAN, Middle East, Eurasian Economic Union. Africa, America… Vietnamese agriculture will focus on building a brand of responsible, transparent and sustainable exporters of agriculture, forestry and fisheries worldwide. Combine the export of agricultural products with the promotion of culture, gastronomy, tourism and the environment; combine attractive technology transfer.

In order to improve the effectiveness of international cooperation and international economic integration in the coming period, Minister Le Minh Hoan called on the agencies and units to continue to guide innovation and improve the quality of labor institutions, especially the timely institutionalization of the attitudes and policies of the Party on foreign trade, ensuring compliance with international obligations and practices. Actively advise and forecast market fluctuations, policies and solutions in relationships with international partners.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with Vietnamese agricultural product associations and sectors to nominate members to join associations in major import markets. In addition, the ministry will also send Vietnamese agricultural advisers to important markets.