Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary Nguyen PhuTrong onDecember 26 demanded building an increasingly strong Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) that is the true representative offarmers’ rights and legitimate interests.

He made the request while addressing the VFU’s 8th National Congress, for the 2023 - 2028 tenure, that opened in Hanoi on the day’smorning.

The event was attended by 995 official delegates representingover 10 million VFU members and farmers nationwide. It also saw the presence ofState President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National AssemblyChairman Vuong Dinh Hue, along with many incumbent and former officials.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, GeneralSecretary Trong lauded efforts by the peasant class and VFU chapters at alllevels across the country. He also appreciated the goodwill assistance andeffective cooperation from farmers’ organisations and international friendsaround the world for the VFU and the country’s agricultural and ruraldevelopment.

He emphasised that the Party and State highlyvalue farmers’ significant contributions to the national construction and reform,the building of new-style rural areas, and the development of agriculture andrural economy into a pillar supporting the national economy.

However, the Party leader also pointed out that the VFU’sactivities and farmers’ movement have yet to keep up with the fast developmentof a digital society and the extensive international integration.

Amid the trend of ecological agriculture, he saidfarmers need to change their mindset and action to become a true stakeholderand the centre of the development of agriculture and rural economy and thebuilding of new-style countryside.

As farmers are decreasing and aging while redundant workersin urban areas and industrial parks are moving to rural areas to seek agriculturallivelihoods, VFU chapters at all levels need to reform their workingmethodology so as to be capable of fulfilling tasks and assisting farmers in thenext five years and beyond to build a strong peasant class joining commonefforts to establish Vietnam as a country with modern industry and upper-middleincome by 2030 and as a developed and high-income nation by 2045, he continued.

General Secretary Trong asked all-level VFU chapters to pushahead with reforming their working methodology, quality, and effectiveness; properlybring into play its central role in farmers’ movement; and act as a bridgelinking farmers with the Party and State.

Healso demanded the VFU serve as an active factor of the great nationalsolidarity bloc and the “workers - farmers - intellectuals” alliance, activelyintegrate into the world, and promote the effectiveness of internationalcooperation and people-to-people diplomacy.

In addition, the leader ordered all-level Party committees,administrations, Vietnam Fatherland Front committees, and socio-politicalorganisations to create more favourable conditions for VFU chapters at alllevels to operate. He also told them to properly carry out the Party’sguidelines and the State’s policies and laws on agriculture, farmers, and ruralareas.

General Secretary Trong expressed his belief thatafter the congress, the VFU’s activities and farmers’ movement will recordstronger progress to help successfully implement the resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress and the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee,build on revolutionary achievements, and develop a prosperous, happy, strong,democratic, equal, and civilised nation with rich people./.