The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that this year’s G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by India, was held in Hyderabad, India, from June 15-18, 2023.

Although Vietnam is not a member of the G20, it is respectfully invited by the Government of India to attend as a special guest. This shows the special importance of India for Vietnam in the field of agriculture.

Confirmation of Vietnam’s position in global agriculture

At this year’s conference, themed “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, countries discussed four key issues: (i) food security and nutrition; (ii) Sustainable agriculture with a smart approach; (iii) the inclusive food system and agricultural value chain; (iv) Digitization to transform agriculture.

On the occasion of the opening of the G20 meeting of agriculture ministers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mody emphasized the particularly important role of agriculture – not only as an economic sector but also as the heart of human civilisation. Against the background of recent global fluctuations, the world needs to pay more attention to food security, food security and climate change.

The Prime Minister of India called on countries to pay more attention to innovation in agricultural science and technology to promote green agriculture, regenerative agriculture, low emissions to benefit small farmers, and increased safety, food security and nutrition for inclusive and sustainable development.

Speaking at the conference, Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan, affirmed: “Vietnamese agriculture has demonstrated a great role and place in economic development and social stability. Vietnam has not only ensured national food security, but also has become a major exporter of agricultural products and food in the world. In 2022, Vietnam’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products will reach over US$53 billion, ranking 15th in the world.”

Minister Le Minh Hoan said that on March 28, 2023, the Vietnamese government released the “National Action Plan for Transforming Transparent, Responsible and Sustainable Diet and Food System in Vietnam by 2020”.

This action plan aims to develop organic agriculture, reduce emissions, integrate added value, improve competitiveness, strengthen resilience to shocks, contribute to improving reputation and building product brands; increase producers’ incomes, ensure food safety for consumers, and ensure access to and enjoyment of food and healthy food for all subjects and in all situations.

At the conference, Minister Le Minh Hoan called on the G20 countries and the international community to work hand-in-hand to tackle global issues and pay more attention to transforming sustainable diets and a food system with much work. That is, to help developing countries, including Vietnam, to gain access to advanced and modern scientific and technological resources for the development of environmentally friendly, low-emission agriculture, thus ensuring food security and nutrition. Maintenance; Provide technical support and capital for investment in synchronous development of agricultural infrastructure, promote responsible investment in agriculture.

MANY BIlateral MEETINGS BETWEEN VIETNAM AND COUNTRIES

On the fringes of the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, the delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Minister Le Minh Hoan, held a series of bilateral meetings with the heads of the German partner ministries. , Japan, Canada and Bangladesh…

At a meeting with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ms. Claudia Heike Müller, Germany’s State Secretary for Agriculture and Food, pledged to support Vietnam in green growth, biodiversity and agricultural mechanization. The German side is particularly interested in supporting the small and medium-sized companies, cooperatives and small farmers in the green transformation and job creation.

Minister Le Minh Hoan highly appreciated German support for Vietnamese agriculture in priority areas. At the same time, it is recommended that the German side pay special attention to assisting Vietnam in applying the new EU regulations on preventing forest encroachment and degradation, developing multipurpose forests and based on the mechanism of joint management with the community. , Implementation of the project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta, providing vocational training.

The two ministers agreed to prioritize the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and small farmers in the field of green growth. The two sides agreed to entrust specialized agencies with the active implementation of measures to promote agriculture, forestry and fisheries trade between the two countries.

At the meeting with the EU High Commissioner for Agriculture, Minister Le Minh Hoan acknowledged the close cooperation and effective support of the EU in the past period, which has made an important contribution to the transformation of Vietnam’s agricultural sector towards EU agriculture “transparency, responsibility, sustainability and green growth”.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Januez Wojciechowski recognized the achievements of Vietnamese agriculture in ensuring food security and developing the livelihoods of small farmers. The two sides also agreed on concrete implementation of next steps to boost EU-Vietnam agricultural trade and investment.

Meeting on the sidelines with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister Le Minh Hoan thanked Japan for its practical support through large-scale ODA projects to agriculture in recent years. The two ministers agreed to task specialized agencies to review the implementation of the agricultural cooperation vision in the past period and to draw up concrete action plans to develop and implement the agricultural cooperation vision in the next period (2025-2028), the Particular attention will be paid to the promotion of professional training for farmers and the development of the Japan Agricultural College model in Vietnam.

Mr. Tetsuro Nomura – Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan – recognized the efforts of the Vietnamese side in implementing the Vision of Vietnam-Japan Agricultural Strategic Cooperation 2021-2024, particularly in building sustainable agricultural values, animal and plant quarantine and the Irrigation development, natural disaster prevention and human resource development.

At the Vietnam-Canada meeting, Ms. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Food of Canada, expressed her desire to strengthen cooperation to achieve the global goals of ensuring food security, reducing food security and reducing food costs. Emissions, Biosecurity Ensuring .

“Canada, with its strengths, stands ready to help Vietnam build a disease-free livestock area,” affirmed Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, suggesting that both sides work closely together on the open work. Market opening, promotion of Canada-Canada Vietnam AFF trade.

Minister Le Minh Hoan suggested that the Canadian side should pay more attention to climate cooperation and support of agricultural innovation, and adopt the model of vocational training combined with Canada’s applied research and technology transfer. Canada to Vietnam. The two sides agreed to hire specialized agencies to work closely together to promote trade in agriculture, forestry and fisheries between the two countries.