In hisopening speech, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development LeQuoc Doanh underlined the need for ASEAN countries to forge links andincrease investment in the field.
Vietnam and other ASEAN’smember nations are facing great challenges in meeting the increasingdemand for commodities produced sustainably, he said.
Accordingto Doanh, Vietnam has employed the public–private partnership (PPP)model in a number of fields, proving effective in the coffee industryby helping improve outputs and incomes for farmers. About 500,000farmers are expected to get involved in PPP projects in 2017.
Heexpressed his hope that through the forum, participating businesseswould find solutions to spur cooperation, which are necessary forincreasing the output of farm produce, ensuring food security andimproving the competitiveness of ASEAN agricultural commodities ininternational markets.
New production methods are needed toincrease both the output and quality of farm produce, improvelivelihoods and minimise losses and negative impacts from agriculturalactivities on the environment, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber ofCommerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc stressed.
Businesses will playan important role in promoting connections and sustainable agriculturaldevelopment through their production and business models applying hightechnologies, he added.
However, he also noted that the numberof enterprises in Southeast Asian nations investing in agriculture andtechnology is limited.
During the two-day forum, participantswill contribute opinions on developing supply chains for productsproduced sustainably such as tea, rice, coffee, aquatic products, dairybutter and maize.
They will also discuss necessary changesto the global cultivation system to create fair opportunities forfarmers running small-scale production models.-VNA