Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has urged scientists to make more contributions to promoting scientific and technological application in building new - style rural areas.
The minister made the request at a conference in Hanoi on June 22, which aimed to review the implementation of the Science and Technology Programme serving the building of new - style rural areas in 2011-2015, and discussed orientations for the programme in the next five years.
He stressed that projects under the programme ought to follow the demands of localities, enterprises and the people, and further support the realisation of new - style rural building targets.
Policies, measures and sustainable and effective methods should be devised, especially for remote and disadvantaged areas, towards accelerating the restructuring of agricultural production and pushing rural economic development.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh underlined the need to accelerate the programme, focusing on promoting technological transfer, training technicians who guide farmers, and applying technologies in economic development.
These will contribute to creating high-quality and competitive goods, he said.
According to head of the programme Nguyen Tuan Anh, the programme has proven effective, helping raise farmers’ awareness of the importance of science and technology application in agricultural production and improve their living conditions as well.
It promotes links among scientists, the State, farmers, enterprises and cooperatives in applying science and technology to achieve new - style rural development goals, he added.
In the time ahead, the programme sets to have 70 percent of its projects being approved, and all of them will be applied in practice.
Technological application models with investment from enterprises will be formed, including at least 60 percent of the models in the form of value chains from production to consumption, thus contributing to promoting socio-economic development in new-style rural areas.
Up to 105 technologies and 85 science and technology application models in agricultural production and 50 enterprise-farmer models have been established so far, benefiting about 5,000 farmer households from nearly 100 communes across the country.-VNA
