The northern province of Bac Giang has set forth numerous measures to accelerate its agricultural development programme in line with building new-style rural areas in the 2015-2016 period.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Khai, the locality will focus on restructuring agriculture via effective and sustainable goods production models, while developing hi-tech agriculture and trade villages.

Apart from creating large-scale concentrated production areas meeting Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) and Global Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalGAP) standards, the province will boost the application of new science and technology to increase productivity, encourage businesses to buy farm produce, and develop cooperatives.

Local authorities asked livestock farmers to ensure food safety, veterinary hygiene, and keep diseases under control.

The forestry sector is also paid due attention to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

The province plans to expand the areas for aquatic breeding, promote trade names for farm produce, and improve the efficiency of public investment management and disbursement, along with attracting investment in agriculture, especially in rural areas, and reforming administrative procedures.

The programme has helped Bac Giang province build trade names for its farm produce such as “Ga doi Yen The” (Yen The chicken), Luc Ngan litchis, and Hiep Hoa grapefruits.

Yen The chicken, in particular, was named as one of the ASEAN’s best foods last year. In 2012, it was honoured as a “trusted product” in a survey by the National Office of Intellectual Property and Intellectual Magazine, and recognised as a “Capital’s Trusted Trademark” by the Hanoi Association for Science and Technology and the Vietnam Association for Customer Protection.-VNA