The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called for more assistance from non-government organizations, which have implemented projects in 63 cities and provinces nationwide, local media reported.
Minister of the Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, made the statement at the meeting with NGOs in Hanoi March 23.
Phat said Vietnam agriculture sector needs for NGOs’ assistance in technology transfer, human training, agro, forestry and fishery extension, farm produce market forecast and cattle and plant disease control.
He noted that assistance to districts with poverty rates exceeding 50 per cent, environmental protection, and preventing and responding to natural disasters should also be prioritized.
While Official Development Assistance (ODA) inflows into the country are declining, donations from NGOs are continuing to increase. Total aid has gone up from US$20 million each year in 1986-1990 to US$260 million in 2008.
Vietnam now has official relationships with 650 NGOs, 500 of which have pledged long-term assistance.
According to the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), all provinces and cities nationwide have received some sort of NGO-sourced assistance in various fields, primarily health care, education, and social and economic development.
The funding is also prioritized for rural and remote regions, and particularly areas populated by ethnic minority groups and those heavily impacted by the aftermath of war.
A report on NGOs’ assistance toward agriculture indicates that nearly all the projects are high-efficiency, primarily because they prioritize local participation.
However, a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the support of the International Support Group (ISG) has pointed out shortcomings in the coordination between management agencies, officials and NGOs, and thus, several projects have not been in harmony with master sector development plans.
Also during the dialogue, Minister Phat said that the Vietnamese government, aiming to fully tap all resources being put toward social development, has implemented a number of legal documents to help facilitate the operations of NGOs and their projects in Vietnam.
Agriculture, one of Vietnam’s highest-priority sectors, in recent years has maintained strong growth, reaching 3.44 per cent in 2007 and 3.8 per cent in 2008. However, the sector also bears the burden of current impacts from the global recession. (Vietnam Economic Times, VNA)
Vietnamese
