A high-level delegation headed by Ms Pratibha Mehta, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, and joined by Mr. JongHa Bae, FAO Representative in Viet Nam, and the Ambassadors of Brazil, India and South Africa visits the UN-IBSA funded project "Establishment of Rice Seed Production Hub in Da Nang City". The delegation meets with project's stakeholders, talks with cooperative members in Hoa Tien commune, and visits a seed-testing laboratory.

Financed by the India – Brazil – South Africa (IBSA) Trust Fund, the project is being implemented by Da Nang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with FAO's technical expertise, with a total budget of US$ 529,000. Under the project, a hub for the production of rice seeds has been set up to enhance agricultural yield, thereby developing rural livelihoods and reducing poverty and hunger among communities in the area. In addition, the project is improving farmers' knowledge and production capacity in the fields and by enhancing the post-harvest processing methods and activities of the community, setting up and operationalizing a seed quality-control and certification system for the city, and, reinforcing farmers' marketing capacity.

Both the Government and the delegation appreciated the great achievements of the project as a good example of successful South-South cooperation in Vietnam, which will open the door to other collaboration opportunities of future projects and programs with the support from the UN-IBSA fund.