Mekong Delta provinces should identify common products, experts tell the 2019 Mekong Connect-CEO Forum in Can Tho on Thursday (November 7).

Economist Pham The Trung told the 2019 Mekong Connect-CEO Forum in Can Tho on Thursday that the region needed to urgently address the global warming and integration issues.

It should work to change the perceptions and actions of farmers and businesses and enhance the use of technology to come up with safe products meeting the demands of both local and foreign consumers, they said.

Agriculture in the Mekong Delta faces challenges like scarcity of land and water, natural disasters, failure to use technology, poor infrastructure, low labour productivity, and a lack of links between stakeholders, according to Trung.

Besides, investment in the sector, including public investment, remains low, though some public companies have entered recently.

To overcome the problems, the delta should focus on institutional reforms, enabling farmers to pool land to create medium- to large-scale farms, strengthening mechanisation in agriculture and creating agricultural value chains, he said.

Delegates also called for establishing close links between localities in the region as well as between them and HCM City.

"Links are key to mitigating the region’s environmental problems, finding outlets for their agricultural produce and attracting human resources from outside," Le Tuan Anh, another economist, said.

An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho, and Dong Thap had co-operated for a programme called ABCD Mekong to jointly invest and develop certain products, and it would be a good lesson for others, he added.

The delta, home to 13 cities and provinces, plays an important role in the country’s economy, accounting for 80 per cent of its rice exports and nearly 60 per cent of seafood exports. – VNS

Will Vietnam's Mekong Delta be under water by 2050?

Some Vietnamese scientists believe the finding that Vietnam’s Mekong Delta will be under water by 2050 is reliable, and that Vietnam needs to be more active in implementing measures to delay subsidence and fight floods.

Don't silence the Mekong River

Last month, the Mekong River Commission announced the commencement of Prior Consultation for Luang Prabang, the fifth lower Mekong mainstream dam to undergo the process.

Government will pour more investment to the Mekong Delta

Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, talks to the Government portal on what the country has done to help the Mekong Delta region develop sustainability.