Agricultural Restructuring Needs to Finish Soon

According to Action Programme, from 2013 to 2015, relevant bodies and localities focus on reviewing and drafting policies, building resources development strategies and training rural workers.

 

Besides, there are many recommendations and proposals related to agricultural restructuring programme and goals like no agricultural reform without preparation, no common form for agricultural restructuring.

 

According to the report to the National Assembly on October 31, 2014, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said, after more than one year implementing agricultural restructuring policy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed and deployed 16 projects, including six being deployed.

 

The Government also issued many restructuring policies like supporting crop restructuring in the Mekong Delta and developing farm-scaled livestock husbandry. The Government is also drafting the Decree on forest protection and development and poverty reduction in ethnic minority areas, encouraging investment into agriculture, country and farmers.

 

Localities built their projects and applied restructuring scheme. Livestock and crop structures have been positively changed. More than 100,000 ha of paddy field was changed to plant vegetables because of higher revenue for farmers. Rice has higher quality and prices.

 

After learning the report by Minister Phat, experts pointed out that agricultural restructuring will be sped up if farmers are placed at the centre of the programme. Then, farmers decide what and how to do while the Government provide information and other supports. Mr Truong Quoc Can, Deputy Director of the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD), said, the contents of the scheme only focused on boosting income, quality and productivity. This means that the scheme places emphasis on economic objectives, not social and environmental objectives.

 

Farmers should be positioned at the centre of the programme. Farmers need to be gathered to form stronger production groups.

 

To generate a leeway for agriculture, farmers must start with the thinking of agricultural managers. In essence, managers will lead farmers and create the environment for farmers and agricultural organisations to perform their restructuring missions. When farmers are placed in their right position, the State and managers should also focus on production planning and information provision.

 

In agricultural restructuring, the cooperation form constituted by three or four stakeholders is not suitable because the new structure requires a new formation set up farmers to serve their production and consumption. The connectivity is only strong when all stakeholders play their part well. In building cooperation, all stakeholders must build on mutual trust and mutual benefit. According to results in some localities, the connectivity is a certain trend for sustainable agricultural development. In that connectivity, the State will always be the lead as it creates mechanisms, policies and environments for linkages to become stronger and tougher.

 

According to economic experts, agricultural restructuring cost is the lowest among other sectors. Agricultural restructuring cost includes infrastructure investment, field arrangement and investment promotion.

 

Dr Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), said agricultural restructuring takes a cost when infrastructure is invested, fields are rearranged and stakeholders are attracted. He said if a company invests US$10 - 15 million in rice production, it can consume rice harvested from 15,000 ha which will be tended by 3,000 farming households. So, the Mekong Delta region needs just 40-50 companies to consume all rice grown by local farmers. With a long using period, the investment rate is very low. According to experts, Vietnam needs at most US$1 billion for agricultural restructuring across the nation. The amount is just a quarter of State money lost by Vinashin. With a lot of advantages for agricultural development, Vietnam should speed up the agricultural restructuring process to reach the finish line soon.