Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam’s agriculture sector is aiming to be among the15 most developed countries in the world, in which the agricultural processingsector ranks among the top 10 countries by 2030.

To realise the goal, the Government issued a resolution in 2019 on measures toencourage businesses to invest in effective, safe and sustainableagriculture as part of efforts to help the sector integrate globally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently submitted tothe Government a project of export promotion of agro-fishery products by 2030.

The export turnover is expected to reach 50-51 billion USD by 2025 and 60-62billion USD in 2030.

To implement the target, the MARD will review and propose policies forinvestment attraction from private and foreign investors into the agro-fisheryproduct processing industry.

For the last five years, there has been a wave of investment into agriculturalproduction with 52,000 businesses, of which the firms directly participating inproduction hit 13,300, triple the figure of 2015.

The businesses’ participation not only contributed improve the value ofagricultural products but also helped farmers access internationalstandards.

In 2020 alone, 18 new factories for agro-product processing opened, apositive signal in improving Vietnam’s agricultural sector.

However, according to experts, although investment in agriculture hasflourished in recent years with the participation of many new tycoons, it hasnot become a strong wave.

Notably, the majority of agricultural enterprises are still small, of which 90percent are small and super small with capital of less than 10 billion VND (430,000USD) while the number of enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture is evenmore modest.

Tran Van Tan, Chairman of Safe and Organic Businesses’ Association of Thanh HoáProvince in central Vietnam, said: “Agricultural businesses had manydifficulties in accessing preferential policies leading to difficulties inseeking assistance.”

“Capital was also a big problem. To have the capital to buy agricultural landfrom farmers was a difficult problem,” said Tan.

“Access to capital from banks was not easy due to many procedures thatagricultural enterprises struggled to meet,” he said.

“The accumulation of land to invest in setting up high-tech agricultural zoneswas also difficult so it required the help from local governments,” he added.

Similarly, Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, Director of the Vietnam Organic Farm Company,said initial expenses for high-tech farming were always higher than traditionalfarming while high-tech production did not bring immediate economic benefits.

Access to capital and land were also tough problems for agriculturalenterprises, Hang said.

“It is necessary to increase the number of businesses taking part in theprocessing industry to become a kernel for 8.6 million farmers nationwide,” thedirector said.

“On the other hand, promoting science and technology to produce hi-techagro-product is an inevitable trend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ha Van Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Agriculture Businesses’Association, said the thing most businesses needed was a legal frameworkfor high-tech farming development.

There was a need for incentive policies such as simplifying loan procedures andcompleting criteria of high-tech agricultural enterprises to easily access bankloans.

Policies on land accumulation and granting land use right certificates, housesand properties attached with land ownership must be improved, according to Thang.

According to experts, to attract investment in agriculture it was necessary tocut 40-50 per cent of current administrative procedures, improve the businessenvironment and develop businesses substantially.

At the same time, reviews are needed to avoid overlaps in management andinspection and not let one product be subject to the management of too manyunits. Management methods should change to post-check from pre-check.

Besides, there must be clear planning of material zones connecting withbusinesses as well as support for the training of human resources for high-techfarming./.