ITANAGAR, 21 Jun: Minister for agriculture Tage Taki visited Vietnam to study agricultural technologies and advanced agricultural practices adopted by that country from 14 to 20 June, according to an official release.
The minister, accompanied by agriculture commissioner Bidol Tayeng, agriculture director Anong Lego, joint director (PP) Karbom Riram and other officials of the agriculture department, attended the “Agri Vietnam 2023” on 10 June at Saigon Exhibition & Conservation Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.
“Agri Vietnam” is the biggest international trade exhibition and conference on agricultural machinery, chemicals and agricultural products in Vietnam. The event provides an excellent networking platform for companies of agricultural machine and equipments, technology, agricultural chemicals and other agricultural products etc, the release said.
Prominent companies, professionals, service providers, distributors from various agricultural sectors from around 15 countries showcased a wide operation of products and professional services.
Besides, various agricultural companies, exhibitors, dealers, distributors, manufactures, exporters, entrepreneurs, wholesalers, retailers, agri-processers, universities, research institutions, farmers, cooperatives, government representatives, agriculture departments attended the event. Many Indian companies also attended it.
The team visited the Mekong Delta, the vital agricultural and aqua culture hub of Vietnam. The delta is having rich biodiversity system. However, its ecosystem has been experiencing dramatic degradation on many fronts and the delta has lost many hectares of land due to erosion.
“The farmers have adopted more climate resilient and resource efficient ways of living through diversification of various climate resilience activities like, upstream-duck and fish farming, downstream shrimp farming, protected forest, cooperative farming, like bee rearing, mushroom, aquaculture, integrated farming, chocolate making, small cottage industries, proper water management etc,” it said.
“Diversification in farm activities would be an alternate source of income to small and marginal farmers of our state too,” the minister said.
During the last leg of the tour, the team visited Mai Chau, approximately 140 km from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.
“It is one of the rice paddy-growing countryside akin to our state. It is inhabited by one of the ethnic minority ‘Thai’ tribe of Vietnam. The dwelling houses and crop cultivation practices are more similar to our people mainly the part of Central and Eastern Arunachal. The rice fields are well-managed with proper distribution system of concrete irrigation canal networks spread over the main fields by tapping streams by providing sluice gates at suitable locations,” the release said.
Taki exhorted the agriculture department to imbibe good and sustainable agricultural practices from Vietnam and urged to incorporate achievable plan of work in the department’s proposals and to make best use of this opportunity to learn many good things from Vietnam to improve the socio-economic condition of the farmers of our state.