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Measures suggested to help farmers increase product sales
The Vietnamese government should encourage farmers to raise production levels, diversify their products and focus their efforts on producing high quality commodities to meet the demands of both domestic and foreign customers.
These suggestions were raised at a seminar in Hanoi on Feb. 16 which aimed to provide a forum to help Vietnamese farmers overcome the difficulties they are currently facing in exporting agricultural produce.
Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Association (VFA), Nguyen Duy Luong said that Vietnam can gain access to export markets that are suitable for a sustainable and competitive agricultural development strategy. However, local farmers’ use of primitive technologies, small-scale production, and low productivity are just a few of the difficulties preventing farmers from effectively breaking into new export markets.
According to Riza Bernabe, an expert with the Asian Farmers’ Association (AFA), Vietnam needs to focus on increasing public investment in agriculture to help raise farmers’ competitiveness, enabling them to become less dependent on exports, particularly in the current context of the global economic downturn.
Participants at the seminar also shared up-to-date market information and discussed sustainable agricultural policies, as well as specifying areas of future cooperation and assistance between the VFA and the AFA.
VietNamNet/VNA
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