Can Tho (VNA) – The AgriculturalTechnical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG) held a meeting in the Mekong Deltacity of Can Tho on August 20 to promote technology transfer in agriculturalproduction.

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

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

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

From 2017-2018, the group will continuestrengthening the criteria on food safety, dealing with challenges in foodsecurity, promoting sustainable application of biofuels in cultivation andhi-tech agriculture to mitigate climate change impacts, and accelerating technologytransfer to develop a food value chain in the region.

Tran Kim Long, Director of the InternationalCooperation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(MARD), said Vietnam acknowledges the importance of high technology applicationin agricultural production, particularly when the country is becoming morevulnerable to natural disasters, climate change, urbanisation, which posechallenges for the agricultural sector of the nation in general and the MekongDelta in particular.

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

The same day in the city, the High-Level PolicyDialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB) also held a meeting to discussapplication of biotechnology in agriculture to adapt to climate change and boostsustainable development.

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

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

The event offered an opportunity for APECeconomies to discuss and seek new approaches to sustainable agriculturaldevelopment for their prosperity.-VNA