The movement of building new-style rural areas has come into the real life, satisfying farmers’ interests and creating a premise for sustainable development, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh said.

Speaking at a conference in Hanoi on July 8, Ninh, who is also head of the Steering Committee for this national target programme, said ensuring rural modernisation means to guarantee other issues on politics, economics and society.

He added that the committee will urge localities to fulfill the set criteria, including construction of infrastructure and public works, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural preservation.

By the end of this year, 20 percent of communes nationwide are expected to become new-style rural areas.

The committee will put forth policies and solutions to speed up the progress of implementing the programme in disadvantaged areas; complete the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020 for the Government’s submission; revise or supplement the set of criteria.

A plan to review the implementation of the movement between 2011 and 2015 was already completed, the Deputy PM said.

Under the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020, as much as 50 percent of communes are hoped to meet all the criteria, while each cities and provinces have at least one district to obtain the criteria, he noted.

In the next five years, necessary facilities to develop production and farmers’ living standards will be constructed.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the rural development movement has been spread widely across the nation in the first half of this year.

Many models have proved effective such as shrimp breeding in northern Nam Dinh province and hi-tech agriculture development in central Ha Tinh province.

To date, 889 communes and five districts nationwide have been recognised as new-style rural areas, including Xuan Loc, Xuan Long (southern Dong Nai province), Dong Trieu (northern Quang Ninh province), Cu Chi (Ho Chi Minh City), and Hai Hau (northern Nam Dinh province).

However, the gap between regions is increasing. Some localities have yet stayed proactive in the field and five provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Dak Nong have no new-style rural communes.

Participants proposed supplementing 15 trillion VND (694 million USD) to carry out the programme in the 2010-2015 period.-VNA