Hanoi hosts 29th meeting of CIRDAP Technical Committee

Nhan Dan – The 29th meeting of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) Technical Committee opened in Hanoi on September 15, discussing issues related to agricultural and rural development.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Quoc Doanh, speaks at the opening.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Quoc Doanh, speaks at the opening.

This year’s CIRDAP Technical Committee meeting focuses on technical issues including the impacts of climate change on crops and food security; increasing incomes in rural areas and poverty alleviation; women’s involvement in agriculture; small and medium-sized enterprises’ role in contributing to poverty reduction; and reducing post-harvest losses.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Quoc Doanh called on the 15 CIRDAP member states and related international organisations to join hands to support CIRDAP’s further growth.

Doanh shared Vietnam’s experiences in agriculture as well as socio-economic development, in which he affirmed that Vietnam’s successes, with a per capita income of less than US$100 in 1986 rising to nearly US$2,000 in 2013, has been rooted in its comprehensive socio-economic innovation over the last decades.

Currently, the country is one of the major exporters of rice, coffee and other agricultural products, contributing significantly to the development of agriculture and rural areas, as well as helping to stabilise food security, Doanh added.

Director General of CIRDAP, Cecep Effendi, also suggested CIRDAP members expand co-operation and share experiences in agricultural policy development, and scientific and technological applications for the development of agriculture and rural areas in the Asia-Pacific region. He also suggested strengthening CIRDAP’s role as an important factor in effectively promoting economic development of the region.

CIRDAP is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1979 at the initiative of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and Asia-Pacific countries. Vietnam is among one of the first six founding members of CIRDAP. It targets promoting the development of agriculture and rural areas, and providing opportunities for member countries to support each other in developing modern and sustainable agriculture.