APEC seeks to promote technology in agricultural production

The Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG) held a meeting in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 20 to promote technology transfer in agricultural production.

The event formed part of activities during the APEC 2017 Food Security Week and the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Enhancing Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Response to Climate Change. 

According to Gong Xifeng, head of the ATGWG, the group has made great contributions to most APEC economies in hi-tech agriculture, helping ensure food safety and security in the region.

The group has focused on cooperation in agricultural technology to enhance the capability of the APEC member economies in agricultural production and relevant sectors, thus improving the agricultural products market in the region and bettering the implementation of relevant regulations in line with the free trade agreements (FTAs).

From 2017-2018, the group will continue strengthening the criteria on food safety, dealing with challenges in food security, promoting sustainable application of biofuels in cultivation and hi-tech agriculture to mitigate climate change impacts, and accelerating technology transfer to develop a food value chain in the region.

Tran Kim Long, Director of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said Vietnam acknowledges the importance of high technology application in agricultural production, particularly when the country is becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters, climate change, urbanisation, which pose challenges for the agricultural sector of the nation in general and the Mekong Delta in particular.

Cooperation among economies in the world in applying technology in agriculture and related sectors is crucial, Long said, adding that this will create a regional preventive network against natural challenges to ensure sustainable food security.

The same day in the city, the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB) also held a meeting to discuss application of biotechnology in agriculture to adapt to climate change and boost sustainable development.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of the MARD’s Department of Science, Technology and Environment, and head of the HLPDAB, said biotechnology helps create added values, and ensure sustainable development for agriculture, fishery, forestry and food production.

Biotechnology also helps eliminate epidemics and improve agricultural productivity, Thuy said, describing it as a useful tool to meet population development requirements in the next century, address issues relating to the environment and human health.

The event offered an opportunity for APEC economies to discuss and seek new approaches to sustainable agricultural development for their prosperity.