JICA creates highlights for Nghe An agricultural development

During the visit and working program in Nghe An, on the morning of July 26, the Japanese delegation led by Mr. Konaka Tetsuo - Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office paid a courtesy visit to the provincial leaders.

Receiving the Japanese delegation, on Nghe An province's side, there were comrades: Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and representatives of a number of provincial departments and branches.

View of the meeting. Photo: My Nga

Speaking at the welcoming ceremony for the Japanese delegation, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh affirmed that the visit of the Chief Representative of JICA demonstrated the success of cooperation between Nghe An and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. He believed that this was a solid foundation for the two sides to continue developing long-term cooperative relations.

"Nghe An always values ​​the friendly and cooperative relationship with Japan and considers Japan a top important partner" - the Provincial Party Secretary emphasized.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh affirmed the contributions of Japan's JICA in the socio-economic development of Nghe An province. Photo: My Nga

On behalf of the provincial leaders, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong gave an overview of the cooperative relationship between Nghe An and Japan, such as establishing friendly relations with Gifu province in the fields of agriculture, tourism, education - training, investment and cultural and sports exchanges. Not only establishing friendly relations at the provincial level, at the local level, Vinh City has also established friendly and cooperative relations with Kasumigaura city, Ibaraki province.

Regarding FDI cooperation, Nghe An province has 6 FDI projects from Japanese investors with a total investment capital of 73 million USD. The projects are currently being implemented effectively and contributing positively to the socio-economic development of the province.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong speaks at the meeting. Photo: My Nga

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong affirmed that Japan is the largest donor for Nghe An province. This is clearly shown with 44 projects funded by ODA programs funded by Japan in Nghe An.

Currently, the province is implementing 4 projects with a total ODA capital funded by JICA of up to 4,808.3 billion VND, including the projects: Restoring and upgrading the irrigation system of Bac Nghe An; Sustainable restoration of protective forests of Nghe An province; Diversifying livelihoods based on heritage tourism in agricultural and fishing villages; Technical cooperation to support the planning of agricultural development in Nghe An province. In addition, the Project of Building sluices to prevent salinity, retain fresh water, and improve the environment on Lam River is in the process of investment preparation.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee added that in 2018, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Japan friendship relations, Nghe An province plans to organize the Vietnam - Japan Cultural Week in Vinh City, including activities such as screening documentaries, exhibitions of paintings, photos, posters introducing the country and people of Japan, displaying documents of the Dong Du movement and the activities of patriotic scholar Phan Boi Chau...

Mr. Konata Tetsuo, Chief Representative of JICA Office in Vietnam, spoke at the meeting. Photo: My Nga

At the meeting, JICA Vietnam Chief Representative Konaka Tetsuo affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner for Japan. In particular, Nghe An is a typical model for long-term and medium-term cooperation between the two sides in providing linked value chains.

Mr. Konaka Tetsuo hopes that in the coming time, cooperation between Japanese enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture in Nghe An will be promoted; at the same time, he requested the province and JICA to speed up the completion of projects in the area, as planned. For completed projects, JICA will continue to support the province in terms of techniques and technology.

In addition, in October 2018, JICA will send tourism volunteers to Nghe An, contributing to supporting the province's development in this field.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh presented a souvenir to the JICA delegation. Photo: My Nga

At the end of the working session, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh expressed his hope that the Chief Representative of JICA in Vietnam will be a bridge to help and introduce more Japanese businesses, investors, and partners to Nghe An, making the Nghe An - Japan friendship and cooperation relationship more practical.

The Provincial Party Secretary suggested that JICA continue to support Nghe An in the Technical Cooperation Project to support the planning of agricultural development in Nghe An province, focusing on potential products such as rice, green tea, peanuts, and green vegetables, in order to bring these agricultural products to be planned reasonably, with high standards, bringing great economic value, and promoting them to the export market.

Nghe An also committed to promoting the early completion of projects in the area, in order to promote efficiency. The Provincial Party Secretary affirmed that development cooperation with JICA will become a highlight in implementing the Provincial Party Congress Resolution on the agricultural sector.

On this occasion, the People's Committee of Nghe An province awarded a Certificate of Merit to Mr. Kakioka Naoki - Deputy Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office for his outstanding contributions to the development of Nghe An province. Photo: My Nga