Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged the prompt design of a 2016-2020 new-style rural area building programme to be added into documents of Party congresses at all levels.

Addressing a video conference on the 2014 programme outcomes and orientations for the next five years, the PM asked ministries to review development policies for agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to make timely adjustments.

Policies enhancing the application of science and technology to agricultural production need greater attention, he said, describing the policies as a critical component for the renovation of the sector.

Additionally, it is necessary to focus on increasing measures to encourage and support enterprises investing in agriculture while strengthening the coordination between farmers and businesses, he continued.

The Government leader also requested better vocational training policies for rural labourers, together with improved preferential credit access for farmers, especially those in mountainous and remote areas.

The PM suggested that ministries and localities seek out financial resources for the programme and integrate the building of new-style rural areas into socio-economic development plans in each locality.

He also asked localities to review and adjust the specific criteria of new-style rural areas to ensure relevancy in each locality.

Last year, as many as 785 communes nationwide, or 8.8 percent, fulfilled all 19 criteria of the programme; 1,285 communes reached between 15 and 18 of the criteria. The nation’s communes have satisfied an average of 10 criteria, double the 2010 average.

In 2015, another 1,800 other communes, or 20 percent of total communes nationwide, are expected to become new-style rural areas.

Building infrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing public works, protecting landscapes and the environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities are among the criteria of new-style rural areas under the programme initiated by the Government in 2010.-VNA