CanTho (VNA) - Vietnam has been promoting the application of high technologiesin agriculture production as part of efforts to adapt to climate change andstrive towards sustainable agriculture development, heard the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in MekongDelta city of Can Tho on July 19.

Participantsto the event are debating impacts caused by climate change on the regionalagriculture as well as advantages and challenges of the progress towardssustainable agricultural development and adaptation to climate change in ASEMmember countries.

Dr. Tang The Cuong, Director of the Department of Climate Change under theMinistry of Natural Resources and Environment stressed that Vietnam considersclimate change response as a vital task as it is one ofthe countries hardest hit by climate change.

TheVietnamese Government has taken drastic actions in restructuring its economy,especially agricultural restructuring, in order to cope with climate change,with the most effective solution being hi-tech application.

In recent years, many technological solutions have been used in agricultureproduction in Vietnam, bringing effective results, Cuong said, citing asexamples the production of safe vegetables in line with VietGAP standards, water-savingirrigation, hydroponic vegetable production, irradiation technology for preservingfruits, and super-intensive Tra fish farming.

Sharing Cuong’s opinion, Dr. Jan Verhagen from the Wageningen University and ResearchCentre of the Netherlands said his country adopted a strategy to invest inagriculture production and restructuring over the last two decades, aiming to increaseproductivity while reducing raw materials.

To realise the goal, the Dutch Government gave priority to improving soilquality, building canal systems and promoting mechanization, he said, notingthat thanks to the investment, the Netherlands has become the second biggestexporter of agricultural products in the world despite its small area and highpopulation density.

ASEM member economies should consider technology as a solid and decisive factorfor the development of regional agriculture amid the unpredictable climatechange, he suggested.

Participants said it is necessary to have regional-level cooperation projects amongASEM member countries in investing resources, transferring technique-experience,and training human resources, in order to help developing countries applytechnology more effectively.

Sein Htoon Linn from Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and EnvironmentConversation said his country is willing to share solutions to adapting to naturaldisasters, which are applied effectively for its agriculture sector.

Meanwhile, Andrea Faulkner,Assistant Secretary at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said her country hopes to transfer its technology in agriculture, which used dedicatedremote sensing satellites to record data of soil quality, humidity, air andatmospheric pressure, helping with the analysis of changes of crops and waterquality.

Recorded data will be publicised on the Internet, enabling farmers to closelymonitor the development of crop, pest and other threats, thus taking appropriateinterventions in right places and time, she said.

Thesmart cultivation model has helped Australian farmers save fuel, seeds,fertilizers, plant protection products and water, bringing high efficiency and sustainability,she noted.

Participants also said that development economies need to have incentivepolicies for enterprises joining hi-tech agriculture, especially private firmsas they are playing a key role in investing in sustainable agriculturedevelopment and climate change adaptation.

The ASEM Conference on Climate Action toAchieving the Sustainable Development Goals - Ways Forward is one of the mostimportant inter-regional events on climate change and the only one of ASEM 2018hosted by Vietnam. It is an initiative of Vietnam which was approved at the13th ASEM Ministerial Meeting last November in Myanmar and won support andsponsorship from many countries.-VNA