Vietnam’s agriculture needs US$40 billion to confront climate change
Thursday, 26 November 2009
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on November 23
held a forum to call on international support to cope with climate change in
the agricultural sector.
The agricultural sector has drawn up a roadmap to
deal with climate change and it is estimated that the total cost for the
relevant programmes and projects will reach nearly US$40 billion.
Nguyen Vu Hoan, Head of MARD’s International
Relations Department, said the Ministry is calling on international
organisations to invest in ensuring food security, developing irrigation
projects to adapt to climate change, reducing deforestation and assisting
people who need to be relocated due to rising sea levels.
MARD plans to meet 50 percent of the total cost by
using funding provided by the international community, equivalent to US$20
billion.
The World Bank has approved a US$215 million
project to support management bodies and improve irrigation systems in the
Mekong Delta.
Japan will help Vietnam
deal with rising sea levels and will focus on 23 provinces and cities,
according to the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
