Hanoi (VNA) – Agriculture, rural areas and farmers are among topics debated at the January 23 working session of the 12th National Party Congress which was chaired by Politburo member and🌸 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Pham S, member of Lam Dong province’s Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, presented a report on agricultural restructuring towards multi-sectoral approach and in combination with new-style rural area building and sustainable development in his locality. He said the restructuring of the economy in general and agriculture in particular is crucial in the context of intensive international integration. The official listed a number of orientations for agricultural restructuring such as re-organising production and developing plants and animals which feature Lam Dong’s competitive edge. The immediate task is to set up a high-tech agricultural area, an agricultural-industrial area, a post-harvest centre and a flower trading centre with the participation of businesses from Japan and several advanced countries. Other tasks include attracting official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI) in production, and building rural infrastructure, Pham S said. At the same time, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong should take the initiative in applying the world’s advanced technologies, training farming experts and managers, improving skills for farmers, developing new-style cooperatives and forming safe production-consumption chains, he added. He laid emphasis on the need to enhance State management in the farming sector, particularly in managing the quality of agricultural materials and farm produce, food safety and hygiene, and the application of VietGap, GlobalGap and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards, in order to boost exports. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, member of the 11th Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, elaborated his views on building the Vietnamese farmer class. He suggested concretising mid- and long-term programmes and contents on building the farmer class dovetailed with the development of agriculture and rural economy, and life-style rural area building in line with the tenth Party Central Committee’s Resolution 7. The move, he said, aims to help farmers play their role as the subject of agricultural production and new-style rural area building, and fulfill the targets of industrialisaton and modernisation. Investments should be poured into key fields like agricultural product processing and preservation, brand name building, market information, infrastructure development and high-tech agriculture, Pham S proposed. More attention should be paid to removing difficulties to create an impulse for agriculture, farmers and rural areas, improving the quality of social and health insurance, and vocational training. Importantly, it is necessary to hand out specific criteria for a model of farmers during the cause of industrialisation and modernisation , who, he said, should be equipped with new awareness, knowledge, culture and resolve. Son Thi Anh Hong, Deputy Secretary of the Tra Vinh Party’s Committee, highlighted the role of prestigious people in ethnic and religious communities in promoting socio-economic development and maintaining security and order in ethnic and religious people-inhabited areas in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh. Agreeing on ethnic and religious work stated in the Congress’s documents, Hong, who is Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council, said it is necessary to synchronously carry out measures relating to ethnic and religious affairs, describing the promotion of the role of prestigious people in the ethnic and religious communities as one of important solutions. Hong proposed promoting Party development work in ethnic and religious communities while implementing the Party and State’s policies for ethnic, religious areas. She stressed creating conditions for prestigious people to give comments to building programmes and plans on socio-economic development and other movements in their localities, and participate in settling disputes and complaints and cases relating security and order in their community. Prestigious people should be encouraged to join political and social organisations, people’s councils, and Fatherland Front at all levels. The Vietnam News Agency will continue reporting on discussions at the 12th National Party Congress.-VNA