The second National Food Systems Summit Dialogue was held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in partnership with a number of ministries, the UN in Vietnam and international development partners in Hanoi on July 16.
The dialogue is among a series of events to prepare the nation for its attendance in the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021.
Addressing the event, which was themed “Vietnam Food Systems: Transparency, Responsibility, Sustainability,” Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh stressed that Vietnam is deeply aware of the need for close coordination among nations and factors in the food system in order to create extensive and intensive changes in the system.
Such coordination will help Vietnam perform better in poverty reduction and ensuring of food security and nutrition in rural and ethnic minority areas as well as in vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, he said.
Minh also noted that international cooperation will provide opportunities for Vietnam to develop its key farm produce value chain in a transparent, responsible and sustainable manner.
The Government official made clear that agriculture plays an important role in ensuring food security, social stability and livelihoods for over 60 percent of Vietnam’s population who live in rural areas and contribute 14.85 percent of the national GDP (statistics in 2020).
Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the agricultural sector was able to post a 2.68 percent growth rate in 2020. Besides ensuring food security for nearly 100 million Vietnamese, the sector also gained an important place in the global food system. Vietnam earned 41.53 billion USD from the export of agro-fishery-forestry products in 2020, and 24.23 billion USD in the first half of 2021.
Deputy PM Minh added that the Vietnamese Government also pays attention to digital technology and innovation in agriculture with the goal of raising productivity, improving food safety and connecting producers with consumers.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan called attention to the fact that Vietnam’s food system is facing many challenges, as Vietnam is among countries hardest hit by climate change.
UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra said the UN will accompany the Vietnamese Government, along with development partners, to transform the food system, contributing to realising the Sustainable Development Goals.
World Bank Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk also affirmed that the WB and other development partners are willing to work together with the Vietnamese Government and the private sector in the transformation process.
