Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung spoke at the conference

Speaking at the National Conference on Preliminary review of five-year Agricultural Restructuring Project (2013-2018), Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said that it was an important event to evaluate the implementation course and achievements, as well as identify difficulties and weaknesses to draw lessons learned, and propose goals, tasks and solutions for agricultural restructuring in the upcoming time.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed that over the past 5 years, the institutional and policy system on agriculture, farmers and rural areas had been renovated to become more effective. Many legal regulations, policy mechanisms in line with the market mechanism and international integration, which facilitate and support the agricultural restructuring, have been promulgated, with the focus on removing bottlenecks in land, agricultural investment and credit, cooperative economy development, agricultural insurance, value chains, new rural development, poverty reduction, etc.

Deputy Prime Minister noted that: “After five-year implementation, the Agricultural Restructuring Project has made great contributions to the realization of goals and solutions proposed by the 7^th Plenum of the XI^th Central Committee, as well as goals set by XI^th and XII^th National Party Congress. Many goals of 2020 set in the Scheme on 3 (economic, social and environmental) pillars have been achieved or about to achieve”.

In terms of economic goals, despite of multiple challenges and difficulties (with negative growth at some point), during the whole period, agriculture still grows by 2.55% per year. Vietnam has a wide range of competitive and high-ranked agricultural products. The exports exceed 157 billion USD with the annual average of 31.5 billion USD, up by 51.2% over the previous 5 years. In 2017, the agricultural exports particularly exceed 36 billion USD, up by 10% over the previous year; the exports of 2018 are estimated at 40 billion USD.

In terms of social goals, along with ensuring national food security, and nutrition security, the agricultural restructuring helps raise the production performance and incomes, which results in reducing the rate of rural poor households by 1.5% per year on average, and raising rural residents’ income by 1.71 times

In terms of environmental goals, by the end of 2017, the forest coverage rate reaches 41.45% (while the goal of 2020 is 42%); the use of banned substances, pesticides and toxic chemicals in production has been gradually controlled, monitored and strictly handled.

Affirming significant results of five-year agricultural restructuring, Deputy Prime Minister encouraged to continuously restructure agriculture, place enterprises in the central role, attach importance to the domestic market so that people become the most beneficiaries of the agricultural restructuring achievements.  

In addition to achieved results of agricultural restructuring process, according to Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, plenty difficulties and challenges need addressed immediately to develop faster, more efficiently and sustainably, to further enhance the quality and competitiveness of agricultural products, and to improve the people’s lives.

In terms of agricultural development vision in the upcoming time, Deputy Prime Minister suggested define the common goal as “building a smart and modern agriculture which has competitive competition, adapts climate change, enhances added values, and sustainably develop in association with rural economic development and new, prosperous and civilized rural development; faster improve farmers’ lives, contribute to poverty reduction, environment and ecology protection, and ensure national security”. Although that is a high target, it is possible to achieve. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung required ministries, departments, localities, enterprises, scientists and people to actively make great contributions. “Agricultural restructuring in order to address agricultural, farmer and rural issues is such a significant task; it is a progress lasting a long time and requiring great resources; it requires the cooperation and dedication of ministries, departments and the whole political system, as well as the initiation of every farmer and enterprise,” noted the Deputy Prime Minister.

Accordingly, ministries and departments need complete the institution, build mechanisms and policies to support agriculture, rural development and overcome shortcomings and incompliance.