Building roads is one of the criteria of the national target programme on new-style rural development (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi should promote the role of farmers in developing modern rural areas from infrastructure and production to healthcare, education and culture.
Secretary of the municipal Party’s Committee Hoang Trung Hai made the comments at a conference in Hanoi on May 12 to review the national target programme on building new-style rural areas between 2016 and 2020.
He urged the capital to mobilise budgetary resources and encourage organisations, businesses and individuals to speed up building infrastructure in rural areas, especially in the fields of environment, wastewater treatment, and clean water supply.
He called for restructuring agriculture and boosting the use of high technology to develop production value chains.
The official suggested increasing the criteria for sustainable rural development, while preserving and promoting unique culture and customs.
Participants highlighted effective rural development models and pointed out some shortcomings in the field such as backward agricultural production, low and unstable incomes and uneven numbers of new-style rural communes among districts.
All communes across the city have completed new rural construction plans, with 201 out of the total 386 fulfilling all of the programme’s criteria.
Dan Phuong district, in particular, was recognised as the first new-style rural district while Thanh Tri, Dong Anh and Hoang Duc districts are submitting appeals to the Prime Minister to gain the status.
Hanoi has completed and surpassed targets on improving farmers’ living standards with the rate of poor households cut down to 1.9 percent. All farmers now have access to clean water.
The capital is aiming to turn more than 80 percent of communes and 10 districts and towns into new-style rural areas by 2020.
On the occasion, authorities granted the Prime Minister’s certificate of merit to 20 units and individuals for their outstanding performance in the field.-VNA
