Hanoi (VNA) – Room for technological applicationin agriculture remains huge, experts said during a seminar held in Hanoi onAugust 21.

Accordingto the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, inrecent years, agriculture enjoyed huge scientific and technologicalcontributions with new studies on rice varieties, animal husbandry, and fruitcultivation.

NguyenDo Anh Tuan, head of the institute, admitted that however, high-techagriculture accounts for only 0.2 percent of the gross domestic product, comparedto 0.4 percent in nearby countries and 1-2 percent in Thailand and Malaysia.

NguyenHoang, from the US’ University of California (Davis campus), said in the longterm, representatives from businesses and cooperatives should be allowed to joinresearch and investment funds, appraisal processes, and workforce trainingsystems to form a chain in smart agricultural ecosystems.

He saidin developed countries, universities, agricultural ministry’s centres, and privatefirms are in charge of developing agricultural technology.

Accordingto him, intersectional projects could be done on the back of closecollaboration among the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministryof Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and unitscollecting overseas information.

Agriculturalencouragement units, local authorities, and businesses could consult suchinformation when considering manufacturing and distribution decisions, he said.

Hoangsuggested that the Government allow firms and foreign experts to join projectappraisal to increase the practicability of products.

Expertssaid Vietnam should actively establish partnerships with countries that takethe lead in science and technology, such as the US and Germany, so as to accessnew technological advances and step up technological transfers.

Tuansaid Vietnam remains weak in preservation and processing so it could do with learningabout new technologies in classification, biology, and nanotechnology to carefor plants and animals through digital systems.

Vietnamwould benefit from liaising with foreign partners to consult their modernagricultural models and ecosystems to shape a smart agriculture sector, hesaid, adding that research institutes and universities need to build a channelto popularise products. –VNA