Cao Đức Phát

Cao Đức Phát is a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and currently the Permanent Vice Chairman of the Central Economic Commission, a high level socio-economic development advisory agency of the CPV. He was previously the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam for the period 2004-2016, a vice minister 1999-2003. He was also elected as the Chairman of the 33th session of the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s General Assembly for the 2006-2008 term.

He earned his diverse professional education on agriculture and economic development in the former Soviet Union and the USA. 

Cao Đức Phát has strong expertise in agriculture sectoral management, particularly in policy making and implementation. During his terms as the Minister, Vietnam’s agriculture achieved strong growth, especially in rice production with Vietnam being among the world’s largest rice exporters; rural development also became a widespread movement, improving remarkably the livelihood in rural areas of Vietnam. 

With his determination, the cooperation relation between Vietnam and the IRRI has developed and strengthened. The IRRI has played an increasingly crucial role in giving policy advice and technical assistance for effective restructuring and development of rice sub-sector in Vietnam.