Vietnam Newly-elected PM to Address Food Safety

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who took office last week, will hold a meeting with relevant agencies to discuss measures to tighten control over food and agricultural products quality as well as agricultural production, state media has reported. Food safety and hygiene as well as drought and salinization in the Mekong Delta and the central region and the Central Highlands will be on focus of the upcoming meeting, newspapers said. Food safety and hygiene is a serious issue as many farmers and processors have used banned chemicals and toxic pesticides in production of agricultural products, making them unsafe for consumption and export. Meanwhile, the ongoing severe drought and salinization have occurred in many localities, especially in the Mekong Delta, the central region and the Central Highlands, affecting over 160,000 hectares of crops such as rice, coffee and fruits. Earlier this week, the prime minister decided to grant VND485 billion ($21.6 million) for 22 provinces and cities hurt by drought and salinization to help them cope with natural disasters. Vietnam’s agriculture accounts for about 18% of the country’s gross domestic production (GDP). The sector is expected to bring export revenues of $31 billion this year, slightly increase from last year. State media has reported that Vietnam has over 200 people dying from cancer every day. Unsafe food is one of the major factors for cancer development, experts said. (plo.vn Apr 13)