Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi’s agriculture sector is facing a host of difficulties from the COVID-19pandemic that require it continue with restructuring and switch to new crops toensure growth.
Director of the municipalDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development Chu Phu My said the sector’sgrowth fell 1.17 percent year-on-year in the first quarter due to difficultiesin pig breeding following the occurrence of African swine fever.
There were only1.1 million pigs in the city, down 31.25 percent year-on-year, with output of51,000 tonnes, down 41.22 percent. The winter crop, meanwhile, was down about 10percent.
Fishery output,however, increased 4.25 percent to 27,000 tonnes, while poultry heads totalled 33.5million, up 17.54 percent.
My said the agriculturesector in the capital targets yielding 89,500 ha of rice, 1.8 million pigs, and38 million poultry heads this year, and is expected to grow 6.26 percent.
Secretary of theHanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue asked that pig breeding be stepped up to1.8 million heads to curb the rising CPI and that more fruits and vegetables begrown.
He suggestedeffectively using industrial and non-cultivation land to meet food demand,issuing mechanisms and policies to use existing agriculture land effectively, andattracting unemployed people from rural to urban areas.
Hue asked the SteeringCommittee on Programme No. 02-CTr/TU from the municipal Party Committee on thedevelopment of agriculture, new-style rural areas, and improving farmers’ livesduring the 2016-2020 period to increase resources for public investment,contributing to economic growth and improving workers’ incomes.
The city’s Farmers’ Union has been assigned toguide farmers on production, connect them with scientists, businesses, andbanks, and form new-style cooperatives./.
