Ten agricultural achievements in five years announced

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently unveiled 10 outstanding achievements the sector made between 2010 and 2015 to mark the ministry’s 70th founding anniversary.

1. The programme building new-style rural areas has been popular nationwide with 1,500 communes and nine districts and towns qualified. Innovative measures and concerted efforts have brought new beauty to the countryside, while bettering the livelihoods of locals.

2. Agriculture exports performed impressively, with 30 billion USD worth of shipments to foreign countries in 2014 amid complicated weather, difficult export markets and decreasing purchasing power.

3. Since its establishment in November 2012, the Vietnamese Fisheries Surveillance Force has affirmed its responsibility of enforcing laws at sea, supporting fishermen and protecting national sovereignty.

4. The ministry has approved 24 plans for agricultural restructuring to maintain production, business and the sector growth.

5. Stabilisation of 3.8 hectares of rice cultivation was an important policy adopted by the National Assembly to ensure food security and people’s subsistence.

6. Joint Circular No.14 on strengthening the administrative system in the agricultural sector defines functions and missions of relevant organisations, assuring effective guidance from the central Government to localities.

7. Over 2.7 billion USD in official development assistance, the largest amount recorded in five years, has been poured into the agriculture sector. Thanks to the fund, upgrades and repairs have been made to a line-up of irrigational systems and rural traffic facilities nationwide, making contributions to levering up the position of the agricultural sector.

8. High-tech agriculture has created top-quality products under the food safety control chain that are able to compete with imported commodities.

9. Laws on natural disaster prevention, plant protection and quarantine, and veterinary matters, adopted by the National Assembly, create a unified legal framework and institutionalise guidelines and policies of the Party and State while enhancing governance in the fields.

10. Forest environment service fees have proved efficient in safeguarding and developing forests. Vietnam has gone from 2.8 to 3.37 million hectares and created sustainable financial sources to stabilise the livelihoods of forest growers, especially ethnic minority groups in mountainous areas.-VNA