Collaborate with FAO to awaken the potential of the domestic livestock industry

Strengthening South-South cooperation

On the morning of June 22, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien and leaders of the Department of Animal Health, Department of Livestock Production, Department of International Cooperation, and some units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development received a high-ranking delegation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of Vietnam (FAO).

FAO Director of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine Thanawat Tiensin appreciated Vietnam's development and experience in animal husbandry and disease control at the meeting. He considers Vietnam a typical example of the transformation of the food system over the past time.

During this visit to Vietnam, Mr. Tiensin and FAO Representative in Vietnam, Remi Nono Womdim, wished to promote investment and development cooperation in the livestock sector. The FAO side said that besides capital, cooperation projects also help Vietnam benefit from experience and technology.

"The trend of livestock in Europe is on a downward trend, while Asia and Africa maintain growth momentum. It is forecasted that livestock production in this region will increase by 20% in the upcoming time," said Mr. Tiensin.

To awaken the potential of the livestock industry in Asia and Africa, including Vietnam, the Director of the FAO Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Animal Health to organize a private conference to support the implementation of the Veterinary Sector Project on the morning of June 23.

FAO acknowledged that the conference would open up a new development space between them and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, especially in the matter of transformation and sustainable development of the livestock industry.

Mr. Thanawat Tiensin also shared some of FAO's new initiatives and approaches in South-South cooperation. Accordingly, in early June 2023, FAO and Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement to develop rice production in Sierra Leone. The project has an estimated budget of US$ 5 million and is implemented through the Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) from the African country.

During the four-year project implementation, Vietnam will provide expertise on rice value chain development to Sierra Leone. Experts and technicians specializing in rice, irrigation, seeding, mechanization, and post-harvest management will be deployed to multiple locations, including research stations.

In addition, capacity-building initiatives such as study tours, field training, and trainers training will be implemented by Vietnam to empower local stakeholders.

Head to the global conference in September

Sharing FAO's view, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that in the past 5-6 years, Vietnam's livestock industry had maintained its growth momentum and currently contributes more than 25% to agricultural GDP. Along with seafood, this sector still has great potential.

Along with restructuring the livestock industry, Vietnam advocates shifting from small-scale farming to large-scale farms and opening the door to foreign businesses, such as C.P. of Thailand, and Japfa of Indonesia, to create a new development engine for livestock production.

At the 90th General Assembly of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) just held in Paris at the end of March 2023, the Deputy Minister also emphasized the current concerns of the Vietnamese livestock industry, including how to One health approach and antibiotic resistance in livestock.

Thank FAO for coordinating and sponsoring the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to successfully organize the Global Food Conference in April; Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien shared: "We consider experts and officials to be experts. FAO's high-ranking colleagues, such as colleagues from the Ministry. FAO's activeness, support, and companionship have always been very prompt. As a result, Vietnam has made a good impression in the eyes of partners and the international community."

On March 28, 2023, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 300/QD-TTg approving the National Action Plan to transform Vietnam's transparent, responsible, and sustainable food system by 2030.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development chairs this plan. In addition, the Ministry also chairs and manages the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV) and the Food Innovation Network in Vietnam (FIHV) - two leading initiatives focused on linking and supporting subjects in the agricultural sector.

FAO's strength is food. Therefore, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien suggested that the two sides continue to cooperate, strengthen discussions and exchange technical levels, and set out an action plan to call for resources to implement the national action plan for the transformation of a transparent, responsible, and sustainable food system in Vietnam by 2030.

Thanks to the welcome of the Deputy Minister, FAO would like to invite the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development leaders to attend the Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, scheduled at FAO headquarters - in Rome, Italy, on September 25-27.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien happily accepted the invitation and was willing to contribute, share experiences, and discuss at technical sessions. He also assigned the Department of International Cooperation as the communication channel to update technical and logistical content.

In Vietnam, FAO's Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) is the main coordinating agency with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the areas of animal husbandry and animal health. Along with the Livestock Policy Laboratory under the FAO Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services, ECTAD cooperates with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop policy analysis and implementation capacity toward a sustainable and competitive livestock sector.