Under the direction of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Business Forum Magazine, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ho Chi Minh City, organized the program: Green Agriculture Investment Attraction Forum 2024.

The Forum was attended by Mr. Hoang Quang Phong – Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI); Mr. Trinh Minh Hoang, Vice Chairman of Ninh Thuan Province; Mr. Pham Van Trong – Vice Chairman of Tien Giang Province; Mr. Tran Ngoc Liem, Director of VCCI Ho Chi Minh City Branch; Mr. Dinh Minh Hiep, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Huynh Tat Dat – Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Thap Province; Mr. Nguyen Ha Loc – Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong Province; Mr. Nguyen Van Phung – former Director of the Department for Large Enterprise Taxation, General Department of Taxation; Mr. Tran Chi Dung, Secretary General of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association (VLA); Mr. Pham Dinh Dung – Head of the High-Tech Agricultural Zone Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Le Minh Dung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Farmers' Association; Mr. Truong Van Tien, Director of the Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center of Ninh Thuan Province; Mr. Nguyen Quang Hoa, Deputy Director of the Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center of Binh Phuoc Province; Mr. Ngo Xuan Chinh – Director of the Center for Research and Transfer of Agricultural Technical Advances; Prof. Dr. Duong Nguyen Khang, Director of the Research and Technology Transfer Center, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Ho Chi Minh City; Dr. Pham Thanh Duy – Deputy Director of the Saemaul Undong Rural Development Center; Mr. Huynh Thai Nguyen, Deputy Director of OAU Organic Agriculture Company…

The organizing committee was represented by Journalist Pham Hung – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Business Forum Magazine.

The Forum also saw the participation of representatives from industry associations, international business associations, local business associations, as well as several businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors.

Delegates managing the forum

Speaking at the Forum, VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong stated that developing green agriculture and a green economy is an inevitable trend and a mandatory requirement in commodity production, export goods, and international integration in the coming period. At the COP26 Conference (December 2021), Vietnam strongly committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and reducing global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. At the United Nations Summit on the Food System, Vietnam set the goal of becoming a country that produces and provides transparent, responsible, and sustainable food products, meeting food security and export requirements.

VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong spoke at the Forum.

However, the world is facing a challenging problem in ensuring food security. The demand for transforming the food and agriculture system towards greater efficiency, comprehensiveness, flexibility, and sustainability has become more urgent than ever.

In this context, Vietnam is making positive strides in agriculture, leveraging its advantages as an agricultural country, gradually expanding and enhancing the scale and level of production, maintaining growth rates in output and quality, meeting both national food needs and export demands, and contributing significantly to GDP growth.

Citing data from the General Statistics Office, VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong reported that in the first six months of 2024, the GDP growth rate in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries reached 3.38%, the highest in the first half of the year over the past five years. Specifically, agriculture grew by 3.15%, forestry by 5.34%, and fisheries by 3.76%. The total export turnover reached 29.2 billion USD, a 19% increase compared to the same period in 2023. With these results, the agriculture sector is confident in raising its annual export target for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to 57-58 billion USD, 2-3 billion USD higher than the Government's initial target for the year.

“Agriculture has truly become a crucial pillar of our national economy and is expected to play an even greater role, leading the green development trend and enhancing the role of green and sustainable agriculture in the future,” Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong assessed.

The Forum attracted a large number of participating businesses

According to Mr. Phong, in recent years, Vietnamese agriculture has been restructuring towards increasing added value, developing sustainably, and promoting organic, circular, and green agriculture. Green agriculture employs smart farming methods, uses organic fertilizers, reduces chemical and pesticide use, applies water-saving irrigation systems, utilizes technology for processing and reusing by-products and waste, improves production efficiency, conserves resources, protects the ecological environment, and aligns with the current trend towards sustainable agriculture.

In many localities, various models are in the process of transitioning to green and ecological agriculture in line with global market trends and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change. Initial results from green and clean agricultural production models have been recognized, with products being clean, traceable, and sustainable.

'Our agriculture sector has significant development potential. In the future, we need to harness this potential to ensure that farmers truly benefit from their production achievements. At the same time, businesses will also benefit from developing, exporting, and trading agricultural products, which is a competitive advantage that must be considered in our national economy,' shared VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong.

He also expressed hope that at this seminar, delegates, experts, and businesses will candidly discuss related issues based on their production and business experiences to help Vietnamese agriculture break through as a leading economic sector, enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese businesses, and contribute to food security and economic stability.