On May 20, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam in collaboration with the German Development Cooperation Organization (GIZ) organized a workshop on Promoting Innovation in the Mekong Delta’s agriculture.

This is a key activity of the Vietnam Green Innovation Center in Agriculture and Food Project (GIC Vietnam), a project that supports innovations in the rice and mango value chains.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam highly appreciates the companionship over the years from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Organization for Cooperation and Development GIZ has continuously implemented many projects on agriculture, environment and adaptation to climate change in the Mekong Delta, especially the Green Innovation Center project has goals and contents that are completely consistent with the priorities of the Government of Vietnam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Experimental and innovative activities in the rice and mango industries have initially contributed directly to the implementation of the guidelines and development policies of the agricultural sector in the Mekong Delta,” said Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Successful adoption of innovations requires close coordination among all stakeholders in the value chain. Innovative, competitive solutions are needed, while building the capacity to adopt these innovations, and then accelerating their extensive deployment through market-based mechanisms with systematic support of the government.

Mr. Oemar Idoe, Deputy Country Director of GIZ in Vietnam said: “At this workshop, the GIC project and its partners wanted to reach out to businesses and stakeholders in the food and agriculture sectors, and the general public to introduce approaches to agricultural innovation, identify specific opportunities for collaboration, and discuss priorities and goals for the future. In challenging times like today, dialogue, coordination and cooperation are urgently needed, especially when prosperity and food security are being challenged on a global scale”.