APEC officials hail Vietnam’s food security amid climate change

Khanh Hoa, February 28 (VNA) – Delegates spoke highly of Vietnam’s experience in strengthening food security and sustainable agriculture while responding to climate change at the recently-held meeting of the Working Group on Food Security Policy. Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Institute for Policy and Strategy of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Dai Nghia made the statement on the sidelines of the group’s meeting from February 25-27, which was part of the first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM-1) underway in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa. According to Nghia, Vietnam is one of the economies vulnerable to climate change so that it must face disasters such as drought, saline intrusion, prolonged flooding and cold weather. In order to adapt to climate change, farmers in the central province of Ninh Thuan have switched to apple, grape and garlic cultivation that suits prolonged drought. While in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, shrimp breeding in brackish water proves effective amid saltwater intrusion in the region. Such models have increased farm produce’s added value and contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam’s agriculture, he said. Patrick Edward Meran from the US, for his part, hailed Vietnam’s thorough preparations and proposals to the meeting. He expressed his hope for the outcomes of the High-level Dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change scheduled for this August in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho./.