South Korea Provides Vietnam with USD 4.5 Million to Improve the Rice Value Chain in the Red River Delta
Post Date: 23/07/2019Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) signed a cooperation agreement for the project “Improving the Rice Value Chain in the Red River Delta, Vietnam.”
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Quốc Doanh delivers a speech at the event.
Accordingly, the Government of South Korea will provide Vietnam with KRW 5 billion, equivalent to approximately USD 4.5 million, to support the development of a master plan for agricultural development in the Red River Delta.
In addition, the project will establish and operate a pilot farming area and an Agricultural Training Center in Thái Bình Province; enhance the capacity of management officials, agricultural extension officers, and farmers through training programs conducted both locally and in South Korea. The Korean side will also provide technical assistance and agricultural equipment for the operation of the pilot farming area and the Agricultural Training Center; and facilitate linkages and cooperation with cooperatives and enterprises operating in the agricultural sector to ensure the sustainable operation of the pilot farming area and the Agricultural Training Center after the project concludes.
At the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Quốc Doanh stated that relations between Vietnam and South Korea are currently developing very well, strongly, and effectively. Vietnam is a leading country in rice production. This project will be implemented in Thái Bình, the homeland of rice, where there have been many innovations and creative approaches in rice cultivation. This is one of the activities demonstrating the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and South Korea in the field of agriculture and rural development.
Deputy Minister Lê Quốc Doanh expressed his belief that, with the efforts of relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the People’s Committee of Thái Bình Province, and the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC), the project will bring practical benefits to rice farmers and serve as a model for agricultural development to be replicated in other localities.
Previously, South Korea had provided strong support to Vietnam in implementing many important projects, such as the project “Capacity Building for the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Center” with non-refundable aid of KRW 2.8 billion; the project on Restoration and Development of Mangrove Forests in Thái Bình (2015–2024); the construction of Green Village models and Vietnam–Korea Friendship Forest planting projects in Ninh Thuận and Quảng Nam; as well as regional projects related to biodiversity conservation and crop variety improvement.
Mr. Kim In Sik, Chairman of the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC), expressed his expectation that the project will help increase farmers’ incomes and improve the quality of Vietnamese rice. He hoped that the project would be successful and become a typical model to be replicated across Vietnam.
Mr. Kim In Sik shared: “With more than 100 years of development, we believe that the experience accumulated by the Corporation will be beneficial to Vietnam in restructuring its agricultural sector to enhance added value.”
In addition to supporting agricultural research infrastructure and building pilot models, South Korea will consider assisting Vietnam in developing a wholesale agricultural market in Hanoi, integrating traceability technology to enable consumers to access safe and clean food.
