Vietnam Needs US$2.34B to Mechanize Agriculture, Reduce Post-harvest Loss

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has just submitted a project to mechanize agriculture and reduce post-harvest loss from now to 2020 to the Vietnamese Government, which will cost up to VND39.52 trillion.

 

Of the total, investment in machines for agro, forestry and fishery sector will be VND14.2 trillion by 2015; and VND27.2 trillion by 2020 while the rest of VND12.32 trillion will be used to reduce post-harvest loss, building preserving storage and technology transfer.

 

The MARD said in the project that lack of machines in harvesting, plucking, drying, preserving and husking progresses in Mekong Delta region, the largest rice producing area in Vietnam, resulted a loss of millions tons of paddy yearly, or 13.7 per cent of the region’s total paddy output.

 

In Red River Delta and other regions, the figure is 11.6 per cent.

 

Vietnam also loses 18 per cent-19 per cent of its total corns; 6.2 per cent-14 per cent of its soybeans; 8.5 per cent-15.5 per cent of peanuts; and 25 per cent-28 per cent of fruit and vegetable.

 

The ministry has targeted to reduce the loss of paddy to 9 per cent-10 per cent in 2010; 7 per cent-8 per cent in 2015 and 5 per cent-6 per cent in 2020; loss of fruit and vegetable to 10 per cent-12 per cent in 2020 and loss in seafood quality to 15 per cent in 2015 and 10 per cent in 2020.

 

To reach the target, the ministry planned to raise mechanization rate to 30 per cent in 2015 and 59 per cent in 2020.

 

The ministry will also encourage transfer of preserving technologies and large-scaled farms. In 2009 and 2010 the ministry will complete construction of paddy storage system with total capacity of four million tons.

 

The MARD suggested the government reduce import tax on agricultural machines and provide financial support to local farmers wanting to buy the machines. (Countryside Today)