The minister made the request at the International Support Group (ISG) Plenary Meeting 2018 which was jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Hanoi on November 29.
At the meeting entitled "Sustainable Agriculture – Nutrition Development: Action for Zero Hunger in Vietnam by 2025", the MARD and FAO launched the National Action Plan on Zero Hunger in Vietnam by 2025.
Vietnam is recognised as one of the most successful countries in reducing the number of people suffering from hunger and poverty. However, the country has yet to reach the goal of hunger eradication in some categories, including high malnutrition rates in children according to the WHO criteria, mainly in the Central Highlands, North Central and Northern mountainous provinces.
Thus, the National Action Plan on Zero Hunger is expected to help Vietnam to narrow the current gap, enhance food security and improve nutrition.
Despite Vietnam's great agricultural production capacity, the country must pay great attention to food security and poverty and hunger prevention as Vietnam will face huge challenges from climate change, Minister Cuong said.
Albert T. Lieberg, the Representative of FAO Vietnam, said that Vietnam's agriculture needs a holistic approach to ensure food security, nutrition, and a self-reliant production system capable of adapting to climate change.
He expressed his belief that "with inter-sectoral collaboration and partnership, the Vietnamese people will surely be best supported in understanding the importance of the Zero Hunger goal in all its manifestations and promoting the National Action Plan, so that hunger can be eliminated in our lifetimes, and possibly forever."
