It is time for Vietnam to introduce crop diversification on rice landto increase profits, Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment told a recent conference on restructuring crop production inthe capital city of Hanoi.
A report delivered at theconference said that last year, the aggregate value of agro-forestry andfisheries in Vietnam reached 1.02 trillion VND (48.6 million USD), ofwhich 52 percent came from crop production.
However, comparedto 2012, the value of agricultural commodities was down by 2.3 percent.And it is projected that in 2014, the value will fall a further 3percent.
Crop restructuring raised food security and farmincomes, alleviated poverty, stabilised the country's socio-economicsituation, protected the environment and responded to climate change,Phat said.
Nguyen Xuan Hong, director general of the PlantProtection Department under the Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment said the use of pesticides is still rampant among farmers.
"This also increases costs considerably. The amount of pesticide sprayed by the farmers could be cut by half," he added.
Many agriculture experts said up to 80 percent of pesticide sprays by farmers were not the right ones or were unnecessary.
Tomake restructuring successful, Phat asked farmers to invest more inplants of high economic value and in commodities highly sought after inthe market.
In addition, he also urged farmers to use plantspecies of high quality and pest resistance and to apply advancedscience and technology in farm production, particularly in reducingpost-harvest losses. "At the end of the day, the restructuring processmust help the farmers to have a better life," Phat said.
In thecourse of restructuring crops, 13 provinces in the south have created369 giant rice fields covering 120,500ha. Provinces in the Song Hong (Red River ) Delta have established 1,256 large rice fields on 35,518 ha.
In 2013, farmers in the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta converted 87,310ha of rice land to grow other crops.
Farmers in the north also planted subsidiary crops instead of rice on tens of thousands of hectares - and earned high profits.
Thepresent ongoing campaign aims to use poor paddy fields to grow othercrops, or for animal husbandry or aqua-culture in as many localities aspossible.-VNA