Clean vegetables in a greenhouse in the northern province of Vinh Phuc (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - To achievesustainable development, Vietnam’s agriculture sector must improve productivityand quality, and identify markets for its products, experts said at aconference held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 18.
Highly skilled labour, small-scale production,and increased use of technology are also all needed, they said.
Efficient restructuring of the agriculturalsector has brought good results in the last few years, with agriculturalproducts contributing significantly to total exports, but the sector is facingchallenges, said Nguyen Trung Kien, an expert in the field.
Kimura Yoshihisa, a consultant in agriculture atthe Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said that Japan used largefields and cooperatives to achieve sustainable agriculture.
Japanese farmers whose fields are located neareach other grow crops with the same seed variety and on the same schedule.
They also use advanced farming techniques. Iffarmers’ fields in some areas are not located near each other, authoritiesshould create favourable conditions for them to swap land, according to theJapanese expert.
For farmers whose land is unproductive or whohad no one to farm the land, authorities will help the land owner find a farmerto grow crops on their land.
Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute ofPolicy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) under theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said that Vietnam’sabundant agricultural supply could meet changing demand of local and globalmarkets.
The sector aims for annual growth of a minimum 3percent, with labour productivity improving by 3.5 percent a year by 2020,according to the MARD.
The ministry has also set a goal of having15,000 agricultural cooperatives, increasing income of rural residents by 1.8times compared to 2015.
To achieve these results, the sector would needto develop a national key product group, a provincial key product group, and a"one commune, one product” group, a MARD representative said.
A systematic approach to training its growingworkforce would also fully reap the benefits of free trade, experts said.
Authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Thoplan to provide training in agriculture for at least 1,400 people in ruralareas this year, focusing mostly on crop cultivation and animal husbandry.-VNA
VNA
