Director-General visits FAO-supported projects, innovative institutions and meets leaders in Bhutan, Viet Nam and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)

Hong Kong (SAR), China - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today wrapped up an official trip taking in Bhutan, Viet Nam and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), strengthening FAO’s partnerships for transforming agrifood systems and moving forward the Four Betters agenda. The trip included visits to innovative farms to interact with farmers, project sites supported by FAO and research institutions, as well as meetings with heads of state, government and ministers.

In Bhutan 

In Bhutan, the Director-General was warmly received by H.M. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. During the unprecedented two-hours-long royal audience, H.M. the King referred to the country’s ‘One Country Two Systems’ blueprint for building the Gelephu Mindfulness City, which will lead to the emergence of a modern, prosperous and happy high-income country on the subcontinent, and invited FAO to actively contribute to the process.

During the visit, the Director-General met with the Prime Minister, H.E. Tshering Tobgay, their third meeting in the past six months. The Prime Minister commended FAO for its reliability and efficiency in turning words into concrete actions and in this regard referred to the launch of the One Child One Egg per Day Programme (OCOE). The Director-General commended Bhutan’s progress in achieving sustainable economic and social development, which had led to the country’s graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, as well as for the introduction of the Gross National Happiness Index. The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s support for Bhutan’s transition into a high income country through the transformation of its agrifood system featuring the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life, leaving no one behind.

The meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, H.E. Younten Phuntsho, focused on strengthening FAO’s partnership with Bhutan, supporting sustainable agriculture and food security initiatives, and aligning FAO’s country programmes with Bhutan’s development priorities for a more resilient agrifood system. During the visit, the Director-General also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, H.E. Dina Nath Dhungyel, as well as with the Minister of Finance, H.E. Lekey Dorji.

Together with Prime Minister Tobgay, the Director-General launched the OCOE Initiative, as well as the Bhutan AgriSustain Fund. The Director-General lauded Bhutan for setting a global precedent in pioneering poverty reduction by building a nutrition-secure, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable country. The "One Child One Egg per Day" of the Royal Government of Bhutan is an initiative launched upon a recommendation made by the FAO Director-General, and for which the Organization has committed USD 2 million towards its implementation in the upcoming academic session, initially reaching 300 schools and benefiting over 32 000 students. The initiative aligns with Bhutan’s ongoing efforts to improve child nutrition and ensure a balanced diet in school feeding programmes.

The Director-General toured the National Seed Centre, under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and handed over tissue culture laboratory equipment contributed by FAO to the center. The center’s mission is to ensure the availability of high-quality seeds and planting materials to farmers and other partners fostering agricultural productivity, food security and improved crop varieties.

At the National Center for Animal Health (NCAH), the Director-General also handed over PCR machines as part of FAO’s ongoing collaboration with the Department of Livestock. NCAH plays a pivotal role in ensuring animal health, enhancing livestock productivity, and safeguarding public health through the prevention and control of important animal diseases, including zoonosis.

The FAO delegation also visited the National Center for Organic Agriculture (NCOA) at Yusipang, Thimphu, where FAO has supported a number of initiatives in recent years related to the center’s work. Currently, NCOA's primary focus is on research and development in organic agriculture, alongside other areas such as vegetables, potatoes, temperate fruits, high-altitude rice, oil seeds, and medicinal and aromatic plants.

The Director-General visited an innovative strawberry farm at Bondey, Paro, with the innovative vertical strawberry cultivation technique started by a four-member group with materials and technical support from FAO, for the cultivation of high value crops in peri-urban and urban areas.

Another site visited was the Cottage and Small Industries Market, to showcase the sector in driving sustainable economic growth and fostering local entrepreneurship. The Market highlights FAO-supported interventions that promote sustainable agrifood systems, value chain development, and high-quality Bhutanese products, while encouraging collaboration and support for its further development. 

In Viet Nam

In Viet Nam, the Director-General met with the Prime Minister, H.E. Pham Minh Chinh, during which the Director-General commended the progress achieved by Viet Nam in its development since the adoption of the Đổi Mới policy, and invited the country to share its good practices in agriculture development through FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) platform with less developed countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and the rest of the world. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the solid cooperation between FAO and Viet Nam and invited FAO to further support Viet Nam in restructuring its agricultural sector to focus on increased added value, green growth, sustainability, smart development, climate resilience, and digital transformation. The Prime Minister reconfirmed Viet Nam’s willingness to contribute to FAO’s 80th anniversary celebrations in October 2025.

In his meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), H.E. Le Minh Hoan, the Director-General conveyed his best wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year and thanked Viet Nam for receiving him as the first foreign guest to visit the country at the start of the Year of the Snake. The pair discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in key areas going forward, including through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), through synergy of the two One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) schemes, as well as agrifood system transformation in Viet Nam, among others.

During his visit, the Director-General also met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Do Hung Viet, during which the Director-General referred to the need for strengthened cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) for a more effective and coherent collaboration with FAO.

In addressing the Hanoi-based diplomatic corps, NGOs and Vietnamese government representatives at an event co-hosted with MARD, the Director-General expressed his confidence that Viet Nam would continue to sturdily develop, in particular during the coming year, and could possibly double its GDP scale in the coming years on the path to becoming a high-income country, and providing an increasingly prosperous and happy life for its people, as well as through sharing its good practices with other countries in need.

The Director-General went on to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Viet Nam and FAO on South-South Cooperation to further strengthen the partnership between the country and FAO. The MoU aims to provide a framework for collaboration and sharing of technical knowhow, and institutional and policy experiences under the South-South Technical Cooperation Framework.

In Hanoi, the Director-General visited the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Center for Agriculture (AGRITRADE), a business unit under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which acts as the focal point for trade promotion in agriculture and rural development.

The FAO delegation saw displays of a number of Viet Nam’s OCOP products, produced with the support of the multi-donor Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) programme. The initiative was inspired by FAO’s OCOP programme, and is realized through a partnership between FAO, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Agricord. Accompanying the visit was the Director of AGRITRADE, Mr Nguyễn Minh Tiến, who highlighted that over 15 500 products were developed since the launch of Viet Nam’s One Commune One Product Programme since 2018.

The Director-General also visited the Ninh Binh Province benchmark ratoon paddy rice field in the Red River Delta where cultivation is now automated and features the use of drones for seeding, monitoring, pesticide spraying and fertilizing. In the Province, FAO is engaged in a number of initiatives to support the Government’s efforts for the development of sustainable rice landscape, and to help address the growing demand for rice on both domestic and international markets. In the past, Ninh Binh has substantially benefited from the FAO’s long-term support and the province has also participated in FAO’s Digital Villages Initiative (DVI).  Prior to the filed visit, the Director-General met with the Chair of the Province’s People’s Committee, Mr Pham Quang Ngoc.

The FAO Director-General also visited the Gia Phong commune in the Province’s Gia Vien district where since the mid-1980s farmers have been practicing rice ratooning, a green and resource-efficient system involving the production of a second rice crop from the stubble after the harvest of the main crop. The delegation visited a training center for farmers and witnessed a demonstration of agricultural drones.

In Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)

In Hong Kong, the Director-General held bilateral meetings with various high level local officials. In his meeting with the Acting Chief Executive H.E. Chan Kwok-ki, the pair exchanged views on how to further strengthen existing collaboration through synergizing FAO’s technical expertise and the special geographic and economic clout of the SAR. The Director-General noted that production, livelihood, ecology and life were the four pillars of sustainable agrifood systems transformation for a modern megacity such as the SAR. H.E. Chan conveyed greetings to the Director-General from the Chief Executive, H.E. Lee Ka-Chiu. He recalled the past engagement of the SAR with FAO, including hosting the 53rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives in 2023, and reaffirmed SAR’s firm support to the work of FAO and expressed the readiness of hosting more FAO meetings in relevant technical areas of work.

In his meeting with the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, H.E. Tse Chin-wan, the Director-General invited the Secretary to evaluate the possibility of establishing a ‘Central Park of Hong Kong’ that could have long lasting positive ecological impact to the benefit of generations to come. He also encouraged Hong Kong to prioritize science and innovation in the city’s accelerating urbanization process, while mainstreaming the benefits of farmers through e-commerce and direct sale. In this regard, Secretary Tse provided an overview of the ongoing construction of the San Tin Technopole bordering with the Guangdong Province. He also invited FAO to scale up its support to Hong Kong in implementing the SAR’s Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The Director-General has also met with Mr Lai Kin-ming, Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong, during which they discussed potential technical areas where FAO and the SAR could collaborate in the future.

Among the sites which the Director-General visited in Hong Kong were the Controlled Environment Hydroponic Research and Development Centre for an introduction and demonstration on the latest technology to grow vegetables using just water without soil. The Director-General also witnessed a demonstration of the latest crop production technology being promoted in the agricultural sector that utilizes limited space to produce high-value crops indoors all year round under a controlled environment without disruptions due to extreme weather and seasonal changes.

The Director-General further toured the Long Valley Nature Park, integrating wetland conservation, farming operations and nature education, and providing a home to diverse wildlife, as well as the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department’s modern mariculture demonstration farm at Tung Lung Chau, which features a semi-submersible steel truss cage design that is resilient against strong winds, waves, and ocean currents, ensuring durability.

In addition, the FAO delegation visited the Tai Lung Veterinary Laboratory at Sheung Shui in the New Territories, whose work focuses on animal and veterinary public health and food safety testing, providing a range of animal diagnostic tests including COVID-19, Avian Influenza, African Swine Fever, anti-microbial testing. A final site visit also took place at the Western Wholesale Food Market.

You can find more images from the Director-General’s visit here: Bhutan, Viet Nam, Hong Kong