Vietnam Maps out National Food Security Plan by 2020
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has submitted National Food Security Plan by 2020 and Vision toward 2030 to the government of Vietnam for approval with focuses on ensuring sufficient food for 130 million people.
The MARD said in the plan that despite being the world’s second biggest rice exporter, Vietnam had 6.7 per cent of households lacking food in 2007 and some one million people in mountainous areas used corn and cassava instead of rice.
The ministry predicted that Vietnam’s population will hit 100 million in 2020, and 120 million in 2030, but the country’s rice cultivation acreage has decreased.
The country is forecast to need 47 million tons of food in 2010 (up by 3.3 million from 2007), including 31.1 million tons of rice, up by nearly 2 million tons from 2007. The figure will rise to 50.3 million tons and 32.1 million tons, respectively, in 2015.
But Vuong Tri Ngoc, head of the Plantation Department, said paddy area will decrease from current 4.1 million hectares to 3.5 million hectares in 2020, affecting the national food security in the coming times.
Ngoc said the MARD proposed keeping paddy cultivation acreage at least 3.5 million hectares in 2020, including 3.1 million hectares of wet paddy, to ensure 39 million-41 million tons of paddy yearly, and 1.3 million hectares of maize.
“The paddy output will help ensure sufficient food for 120-130 million people by the time,” Ngoc noted.
To carry out the national food security plan by 2020 with a vision to 2030, the MARD has suggested the government set up a National Food Security Committee led by a Deputy Prime Minister. (People’s Police)
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