South Sudan and Nepal explore Vietnam’s experience in sustainable rural development

On the sidelines of the High-Level Inter-regional Knowledge Exchange on One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Models on July 15, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung held bilateral meetings with leaders of Agriculture Ministries from various Asian and African countries.

One country, one priority crop

In a meeting with Vietnamese leaders, Mr. Samuel Dalitso Kawale, Minister of Agriculture of Malawi, expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s remarkable success story, transforming from a food-deficient country into one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters. "This is a great source of inspiration for Malawi in its journey of learning and development," he noted.

In fact, the two countries have already established diplomatic relations and designated focal points for cooperation - an important foundation for advancing collaboration in the future. Therefore, Malawi hopes to maintain and strengthen the role of this focal point to ensure substantial progress in joint initiatives. In particular, Minister Kawale proposed enhanced cooperation in tobacco cultivation and other potential crops.

"I propose that the two countries expand trade cooperation, so that more Vietnamese products can enter the Malawian market. Vietnam should actively leverage its existing advantages to increase product value-added and ensure sustainable benefits for both sides. On our part, the Government of Malawi is committed to creating all favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to access and grow in our domestic market," said Minister Kawale.

Sharing insights on the agricultural situation in his country, Mr. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of South Sudan, stated that sorghum is the country’s staple crop, playing a crucial role in ensuring food security for its population. However, South Sudan’s agriculture sector still faces major challenges, including harsh cultivation conditions, the adverse effects of climate change, and limited access to science and technology.

In addition, the country has yet to develop value-added agricultural models and continues to struggle with access to financial resources and credit for farmers.

Minister Akol expressed his belief that Vietnam's insights at today’s Forum will offer valuable lessons for South Sudan as it seeks to design and implement rural development programs tailored to its specific national conditions.

“Vietnam and South Sudan have great potential for cooperation in the transfer of agricultural technologies and the application of innovations through South-South cooperation mechanisms. We are ready to establish a cooperation focal point and further promote technical exchange, investment, and trade activities with Vietnam in the agricultural sector. These efforts will contribute to strengthening food security, improving livelihoods, and advancing sustainable agricultural development,” Minister Akol stated.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung noted that sorghum—South Sudan's number one OCOP item—holds strong potential to serve as a starting point for agricultural cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam could provide support in technology transfer, share research experience, and develop crop varieties in collaboration with South Sudan, with the goal of cultivating sorghum in a more sustainable and productive manner.

Vietnam – Nepal: Joining hands in food systems transformation

Nepal’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ram Nath Adhikari, highly appreciated the potential for cooperation between the two countries in their journey toward transforming food systems. He also expressed hope that the bilateral relationship would grow stronger following their meeting.

"We are deeply impressed by Vietnam’s agricultural achievements, especially the vast and fertile rice fields we witnessed here," Minister Adhikari said. He added that Nepal plans to organize a National Food Forum in celebration of World Food Day and will extend an official invitation to Vietnam. This initiative aims to strengthen exchanges and foster cooperation between the two countries in agriculture and food security.

As part of efforts to strengthen agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Nepal, both sides agreed to conduct market research and expand agricultural trade, particularly in products where each country holds a comparative advantage and can complement one another.

In addition to exporting key products to Nepal, Vietnam proposed expert exchanges in areas such as crop cultivation, animal husbandry, floriculture, and ornamental plants. The Vietnamese side also expressed its intention to establish a technical cooperation mechanism, focusing on seeds, cultivation techniques, and post-harvest technologies.

“With a team of highly experienced OCOP experts, we are ready to support Nepal in identifying its signature agricultural products and developing an OCOP program,” said Deputy Minister Trung.“Beyond sharing experiences and technical support in our areas of strength, Vietnam is also eager to learn from Nepal’s practical experiences so we can grow sustainably together,” he added.

In response to the remarks shared by partner countries, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung proposed that Vietnam and African nations enhance the exchange of delegations at various levels to better understand each other’s potential, cooperation needs, and to share experiences for mutual benefit. He also emphasized that market access for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products should be based on each side’s complementary strengths.

With a spirit of effective and results-oriented cooperation, both sides should clearly identify areas of focus and develop a detailed roadmap for collaboration. Vietnam is committed to accompanying African nations in agricultural development - initially through supporting food security in countries such as Malawi and South Sudan under the South-South cooperation framework. At the same time, both sides should work together to mobilize support from development partners and international financial institutions to ensure the effective implementation of joint initiatives.