Mekong agricultural development project launched by V’nam

V IETNA M wa nts to foster cooperat ion bet ween count r ies in t he Mekong sub-region and share experiences in agricultura l and rura l development through policy adv isor y net work s of not on ly government agencies but also non-governmental organisations and t he private sector.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phu ng Duc Tien sa id at a workshop held to launch the project “Network for agriculture a nd r ura l development t hink ta nks for countries in Mekong sub-region” (NARDT) in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Agriculture had played an important role in the economic development and social stability of regional countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, he said.

Despite the fact that agriculcu lt ura l Development] a nd active coordination bet ween Mekong sub-reg ion cou nt r ies, t his project wi l l help improve t he ef fectiveness of policies in t he Mekong subreg ion whi le st reng t hening partnerships and promoting t he development of effective a nd responsible t rade a nd i nv e s t ment b e t we e n t he countries in agricultura l and rura l development,” he said.

IFAD sub-regiona l director Thomas Rath said the project would promote cooperation and facilitate involved parties to act ively ta ke pa r t i n t he resea rch a nd development process for agriculture.

They would sha re k nowledge t h roug h i n for mat ion e x c h a nge s a nd a d v o c a c y activ ities as well as capacit y bu i ld i ng for or ga n i sat ions and individuals that do policy