(VOVworld) – Governments should make stronger commitments to agricultural development, with priority given to ensuring food security, considering it a key task for every country’s development strategy. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remarks at the plenary session on “Setting the agenda for ensuring food security” which opened on Tuesday within the framework of the on-going World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the discussion on "Setting agenda for ensuring food security". Photo: VGP/Le Son

He said Vietnam was stepping up efforts to restructure its agricultural sector and make it more competitive and environmentally friendly. He reiterated Vietnam’s support for and implementation of many global initiatives including the “new vision in agriculture” initiated by the WEF. He emphasized that Vietnam’s free trade agreements with other countries would expand markets for Vietnam’s agricultural products, calling for more investors in the field. On the sidelines of the forum, Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc met on Tuesday with Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, and Stephen Groff, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank. In his meeting with Admiral Harris, Mr. Phuc said Vienam attached great importance to its comprehensive cooperation with the US as agreed by both sides. In his meeting with Mr. Groff, Mr. Phuc reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to effectively use ADB’s aid, especially in upgrading the infrastructure to boost Vietnam’s socio-economic development. He said Vietnam hoped for continued preferential loans of around 350 million US annually from ADB to support Vietnam’s economic restructuring and industrialization. In a related development, the 2015 Asian-African Business Summit (AABS 2015), titled "Realization of Asia-Pacific Partnership for Progress and Prosperity", convened on Tuesday in Jakarta to foster Asian-African business ties. The business summit focused on discussions regarding maritime affairs, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investments. The one-day event presented an opportunity for businesses to discuss plans to strengthen collaboration within the private sector and between the two continents.