Ten outstanding achievements in agriculture, rural development

This year, the agriculture and rural development sector made outstanding achievements with GDP of agriculture, forestry and seafood increasing 3.76% and export turnover exceeding US$40 billion.

1. The Gross Domestic Product of agriculture, forestry and fisheries expanded by 3.76%, the highest-ever rate in recent 7 years. The growth showed creativeness and innovation in management and breakthroughs in the actions of the Ministry since the beginning of the year; overcoming difficulties in unusual weather and market with sharp price declines in agricultural, forestry and seafood products.

2. Export turnover of agriculture, forestry and seafood surpassed US$40 billion, up 9.6% over a year earlier and higher than the target of US$36-37 billion set by the Government and US$40 billion set by the Ministry; the record rate so far, with shipment to 180 countries and territories. This is the highest ever export value of the sector.

3.The National Assembly passed the Law on Cultivation and Law on Animal Husbandry. So far seven laws in the field of agriculture and rural development have been promulgated, which are Law on Cultivation (2018), Law on Livestock (2018), Law on Irrigation (2017), Law on Forestry (2017), Law on Fisheries (2017), Law on Veterinary (2015), and Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine (2013).  

4. The number of newly-established firms in the agricultural sector is 2,200, a year-on-year rise of 12.3%, bringing the total number to 9,235. The country built and developed linking model with 1,096 chains (up 305 compared to 2017), 1,426 products and 3,174 locations to sell products. 

5.Half of business conditions (175 out of 345) in the field were cut or simplified, while the number of farm products subject to specialised inspection coded HS was reduced to 1,768 from the previous 7,698 (over 77%). Thirteen administrative procedures have been connected with the National Single Window and eighteen administrative procedures performed online public services at level 4. 

6. The country has 3,787 communes meeting new-style rural area standards (42.4%); 61 district-level units met new-style rural area standards; and rural household income reached about VND130 million, 1.71 times from 2017 and 3.5 times from 2008.

7. The exploitation of wood in natural forest was ended, wood output from planted forests and scattered trees nationwide reached 27.5 million m3 and forest coverage posted 41.65%, the highest-ever rate since the national reunification (1975). 

8. Viet Nam signed Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and engaged in negotiations on harmonisation of regulations for the early removal of the EU’s yellow card on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

9. Viet Nam successfully produced vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease in cattle. The AVAC-V6 FMD Emulsion vaccine, developed by AVAC, a member of the Rural Technology Development Group, has been certified by the MARD’s Department of Animal Health.

10. Damage caused by natural disasters was kept at low level, with fatalities dropping by 43% and material losses equal to only 33% from the previous year.