IFAD proposes to upgrade the OCOP program

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh highly appreciated the cooperation results between Vietnam in general and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in particular with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through many programs and projects. on effective techniques such as the project "Agricultural and rural development policy research and consulting network for countries in the Mekong sub-region", the project "South-South cooperation to replicate initiatives value chain adaptation to climate change", the project "Technical support for the implementation of the National Target Program on new rural construction in the 2016-2020 period"... and loans from the supporting localities. agricultural value chain development, forestry development and livelihood development for farmer organizations/cooperatives and people in poor provinces of Vietnam.

Mr. Nigel Brett, former Regional Director for Asia - Pacific affirmed that Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are important partners of IFAD in the region. Over the past 25 years, the organization has supported Vietnam in many programs including the new rural construction program, which is now entering phase 3 of the implementation process.

In addition, the two sides have also achieved positive results when they cooperated to build the OCOP One Village One Product program.

"We expect the OCOP program to grow from a small scale to a national one," said Mr. Brett, and affirmed that he would continue to support the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the next time of the program.

Last March, the project "Enhancing market access for rural people through a market information network based on information technology in building new rural areas" with the support of IFAD ended. end. The project has helped to support and promote the production and trade of goods and services in rural areas and has become the foundation for the development of the National Target Program on building new rural areas and the OCOP Program for the period of 2021. - 2025.

The IFAD representative acknowledged the efforts and role of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Institute of Policy and Strategy Institute's Network of Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Research and Consulting for Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Rural Development (IPSARD), especially before the impact of Covid-19.

Important projects to support agriculture to cope with climate change

In the near future, IFAD will announce the Climate Change Adaptation Smart Agricultural Value Chain Development (CSAT) project, which will support Tra Vinh and Ben Tre provinces in transforming agriculture to respond to climate change. Queen. The organization expects the cooperation of the Agriculture and Rural Coordination Office in the Mekong Delta to ensure that the project is implemented smoothly and effectively.

Mr. Brett also mentioned the Emission Reduction Project in the Central Highlands and South Central Coast of Vietnam to contribute to the achievement of the REDD+ National Action Program (RECAF) goals. The ministry's support also helps ensure the success of the program in regions that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through agroforestry projects. This program is funded by IFAD's ODA and non-refundable aid from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In this project, IFAD hopes to work closely with the General Department of Forestry to ensure the time and progress of the project implementation. According to him, this is a great opportunity to further deepen the relationship of MARD with IFAD.

At the meeting, Ms. Reehana Raza, Regional Director for Asia - Pacific of IFAD assessed that with the cooperation of the two sides over the past time, two new projects, CSAT and RECAF, have achieved progress. She said that the agricultural sector is being affected by many crises, including the Russia-Ukraine war, but this difficult time is also an opportunity for the two sides to cooperate more deeply, marking the beginning of the relationship. effective partnership.

According to IFAD, the above projects can help Vietnam fulfill its strong commitments at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) to bring net emissions to "zero" by 2050; and reduce global methane emissions by 2030. Together, help Vietnam build a clean, sustainable agriculture, adapting to climate change.

Responding to IFAD's comments, Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh said that the Mekong Delta is one of the top priorities of Vietnam's agricultural industry because it is an area producing key products such as rice, fruit and vegetables. plants and aquatic products. The strategies of the agricultural sector have also incorporated projects and plans to promote the development of the Mekong Delta in the face of the challenge of climate change.

He agreed with IFAD's proposal to expand the scale of the OCOP program because it is one of the efforts in building new rural areas in the long term.

The Deputy Minister also suggested that IFAD cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop proposals for grants from development funds such as GCF, other bilateral partners... to provide technical support for the program. building new countryside in the next phase, which includes building models of rural tourism, planning for landscape development in agriculture, agritourism, development of OCOP and digital transformation in agriculture .

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed IFAD support localities through loans to develop climate change adaptive agricultural value chain infrastructure and technical support on community-based resource management. , afforestation development.

In addition, Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh called on IFAD to mobilize senior experts on agricultural and rural development to support the Ministry in institutional development and advise in formulating and implementing development strategies. agricultural industry.