According to Director of the NationalAgricultural Promotion Centre Tong Khiem, the establishment of such a TV channelis very necessary, especially in Vietnam where up to 70 percent of itspopulation live in rural areas.
A survey conducted by the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development and the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam shows thatfew farm households have sufficient access to various sources of information,and that the useful information that they do receive is limited.
Anothersurvey by the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and RuralDevelopment points out that the demand for information on agriculturalproduction techniques and the materials market tops the list of informationfarmers say they need most.
However, the amount of time for programmeson rural areas on Vietnam Television (VTV) is too little--about 50 minutes perday. This ‘drought’ of information is considered as one of the main factorscurtailing the efficiency of farm production across the entire sector.
Khiem said that VTC16 will help narrow the information gap between ruraland urban areas as well as equalise opportunities for financial advancement.
It will also help reduce poverty and improve living conditions for ruralresidents, he added./.