Mekong Delta should learn from weaknesses to grow further: PM

HCM City (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked Mekong Delta localities to be aware of the region’s weaknesses, carry out appropriate measures to address difficulties and pursue sustainable agricultural restructuring to ensure locals’ stable livelihoods. He made the request on June 27 while attending the second Mekong Delta Forum, which was jointly held in Ho Chi Minh City by the World Bank, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, and Planning and Investment, the Embassies of the Netherlands and Australia in Vietnam and several international organisations. The PM pointed out several shortcomings, including the lack of effective connectivity among regional localities and an appropriate industrial development strategy, and the lack of creativeness in seafood processing although the region accounts for nearly 70 percent of the country’s seafood export turnover. These shortcomings cause locals’ living standards to be not as good as expected, he added. According to him, the Mekong Delta region plays a vital role in Vietnam’s development and the region’s food security, as it is considered Vietnam’s largest rice granary, accounting for 90 percent of the nation’s exported rice volume and one fifth of the global rice consumption. The reduction of the region’s agricultural output not only affects Vietnam but also weakens the world’s food security. Therefore, the Vietnamese leader asked financial institutions and foreign development partners to work with the Vietnamese Government and Mekong Delta localities to help the region overcome challenges caused by climate change, drought and disasters. The Government… [Read full story]