Comrade Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, worked with the delegation from the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ).

The SAFE project is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Project activities run from September 2022 to May 2028 with the goal of contributing to an inclusive transition to legal, sustainable, and deforestation-free supply chains for goods exported to the European Union (EU) that comply with the European Parliament's Anti-Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Due to the significant impact of EUDR regulations on several key sectors (wood and wood products, coffee, rubber), Vietnam was recently selected to participate in the SAFE project, with activities planned to be implemented from January 2024 to May 2028.

Representatives from the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ) provided information about the project.

GIZ in Vietnam is authorized by donors to implement SAFE project activities in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. To finalize the SAFE project proposal in Vietnam, GIZ Vietnam, in collaboration with the Department of Crop Production, organized a field survey in Son La province with the following objectives: Assessing the current state of the coffee and timber industries in Son La and identifying technical support needs related to the EU's new Deforestation Regulations (EUDR); Understanding programs and projects (of the Vietnamese Government and development organizations) currently underway or planned in Son La to help the coffee and timber industries meet EUDR requirements; Identifying and analyzing stakeholders (including both public and private partners and potential service providers) for cooperation and providing technical support to coffee farmers in the selected province within the scope of the SAFE project…

Comrade Nguyen Thanh Cong delivered a speech at the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of the Son La Provincial People's Committee, provided a brief overview of the province's potential and advantages, the current state of agricultural production development, especially the development of coffee and fruit tree cultivation. He also expressed gratitude for the resources provided by the GIZ organization over the past period to support Son La province in agricultural development and climate change adaptation, which have changed the perception of agricultural development among the people and cooperatives in the province, contributing to agricultural growth. The province hopes that in the future, the GIZ organization will continue to research projects in various fields, including supporting the province in replanting coffee trees, training people to improve their technical capacity in intensive coffee cultivation; and supporting the province in developing forest ecosystems to protect rare animal and plant species and genetic resources. The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also respectfully extended an invitation to the GIZ Organization to participate in and support the province in successfully organizing the first Son La Coffee Festival in 2023 at the end of October 2023.

Le Hong