Testing a new rice planting machine (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam hopes the international community will provide thecountry with more support to achieve sustainable agricultural development inthe context of faster and more extreme changes in weather, an officialsaid.
Minister ofAgriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong made the appeal at a conferenceon international cooperation in the promotion of sustainable farming inresponse to climate change, which was held in Hanoi on December 6.
He saidVietnam has seen many extreme weather conditions in 2016, which shows climatechange is taking place faster and more severe than the scenario announced in2012.
Accordingto the minister, relevant agencies are working on a new scenario of climatechange for the country, which will be made public soon.
He notedthat climate change impacts will take a heavy toll on agricultural productionin the Mekong Delta region, which produces 75 percent of rice, 50 percent offruit and 80 percent of fishery products for export of the entire nation.
Besides theMekong Delta, six other economic zones in Vietnam will also suffer from similaraffects.
TheMinister said the Vietnamese Government is executing all-out actions to restructurethe economy and agricultural sector to build up resilience and adaptation whenfacing extreme weather.
Vietnamwelcomes and appreciates assistance of the international community toward itsefforts to tackle climate change impacts and secure livelihoods for residents,he stressed.
UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP)’s acting country director LouiseChamberlain said recent droughts and saline intrusion serve as a warning for Vietnamand other countries.
Shesuggested that climate change risks should be included in policies andprogrammes designed for the agriculture sector.
The UNDPhas been assisting Vietnam in making natural disaster risk management part of policiesissued for major sectors and designing relevant programmes that involve local communitiesand reduce greenhouse gas emission in coastal areas.
ChristianBerger, German Ambassador to Vietnam, highlighted agriculture, irrigation and shoreprotection as major factors in sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.
He saidstrong coordination among relevant agencies and organisations is key to theregion’s success, stating that the German Government is willing to support theVietnamese agricultural sector in that matter./.
VNA
