The first Mekong Startup Forum 2022, themed "Modern, circular, and low-emission agriculture” opens in Dong Thap province, on December 20. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The forum is intended to engage the public and private sector, especially innovation businesses in implementing the Government’s Plan on Mekong River Delta development until 20230 and vision to 2050.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said: “Promoting green agriculture with low emission is extremely important for the Mekong River Delta to ensure sustainable development and climate change mitigation. We must use less energy, increase the efficiency of resource use and switch to low-carbon energy sources to sustainably use our natural resources.”

At a discussion on transforming fruit supply chain, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development, said: “We need a new mindset for the development of the fruit industry in the Mekong Delta. We are not satisfied with what we have achieved so far, even though we have earned 35 billion USD from fruit export. We need to help farmers ensure their production and minimize risks.”

Mekong River Delta provinces have signed a commitment with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector, build a roadmap for achieving that goal, and work with the Government to realize the emission reduction commitments made by the Prime Minister at the COP 26 Climate Summit in 2021.