Hanoi shifts to animal husbandry, agricultural services hinh anh 1 A livestock farm. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi’s agricultural sector has been on the move to develop animal husbandry, processing and agricultural services instead of enlarging cultivation, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Xuan Viet said at a conference held in Hanoi on January 7.

The agricultural sector will have ample opportunities in 2016 thanks to the country’s deeper integration into the global economy and more specifically the ASEAN bloc, he highlighted, suggesting that it should enhance linkages and mutual supports while building trademarks to increase competitive capacity.

The municipal official underscored the need to provide training for agricultural experts and farmers, saying that relevant organisations should coordinate to implement comprehensive projects and training schemes.

In 2015, the local agricultural sector paid attention to such key national programmes as food safety and sanitation management in agro-fishery-forestry production, supplying fresh water for rural areas, producing high-quality rice and upgrading agricultural mechanisms.

During the year, the city had over 294,000 hectares of cultivation land. Regarding cattle breeding, it was home to 1.52 million heads of pigs, 25,000 buffalos and nearly 143,000 cows, increasing 4 percent, 2 percent and 4.2 percent from the previous year, respectively.

Despite difficulties, the sector still recorded stellar growth in 2015, with a surge in cereal grain productivity and assured food security. Especially, hi-tech application in production and management has improved agricultural yield and enhanced farmers’ livelihoods.-VNA
VNA