 Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan (Photo: dangcongsan.vn) |
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan suggested that cooperatives should be promoted as Vietnam restructures its agriculture. Cooperatives have proven effective for Vietnam to get rid of outdated, scattered production, said Hoan.
He went on to say, “Cooperatives and connection are key to our agricultural development. We will study the market carefully to determine the production, scale, and technological standards, according to the documents of the 13th National Party Congress. We are about to gather farming households into cooperatives and tighten the connection between those cooperatives and businesses.”
The Congress documents stated clearly that Vietnam is looking for clean, organic products towards a sustainable, circular agriculture.
Deputy Minister Hoan said, “We will definitely not trade the balance in the ecosystem, biological diversity, and the prestige of Vietnamese farm produce for a higher growth rate. High-quality products should be demanded by both consumers and producers. Green production cannot come overnight. It takes farmers time and procedures to shift to that model. Productivity might be lower at first but it doesn’t mean profits are lower, too. Higher quality and prestige are accompanied by higher selling prices."
He continued, "As long as we are determined to help farmers change their old cultivation habits, we will succeed in transitioning to ecological agriculture, as written in the Congress documents.”
Vietnam will learn from Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Thailand for its transition to ecological agriculture, according to Deputy Minister Hoan. He added Vietnam plans to become the top exporter of fresh farm produce and processed food.