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Agriculture sector needs more government investment
Leading experts in agriculture say the Government needs to ensure the sustainable development of the industry and protect landless farmers.
Investment in agriculture has dropped and farmers are losing income, they said.
Land for agriculture has also been taken for commercial projects of various kinds, and as a result, the amount of arable land has shrunk.
Dr. Vu Trong Binh, Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the agricultural sector contributes an average 25 percent to the national economy.
However, the capital poured into agriculture accounts for only 14 percent of the total investment, and most of that was raised from non-state companies, Binh said. “The sector’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has slowed down.”
In 2005, the rate stood at 3.8 percent and in 2006 2.8 percent. In 2007, it was 2.3 percent and is predicted to be lower this year.
The rural-urban gap, natural calamities, and price hikes of input materials have all contributed to the drop.
Of the country’s current 4.1 million ha of rice, more than 70,000 ha are swallowed up by development projects every year.
Many farmers, forced to find other means of work, have not been able to find jobs because they lack skills.
With the drop in arable land, food security for the nation is also a concern.
Nguyen Ngoc Trieu, former Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Association, said there was a need to train people in rural areas to create ties among scientists, farmers, companies and the State.
“At present, farmers have been forced to accept prices of fertilisers and pesticides set by traders,” Trieu said.
Dr. Le Xuan Ba, Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), said that even though the Government had tightened monetary policy to reduce inflation, investment in rural agriculture was still needed.
Ba said future agricultural policies would focus on scientific studies, technological transfer, training, monitoring and prevention of epidemics, as well as the development of the processing industry and diversification of products to reduce risks.
VNA
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