Ministry hopes to double rural economic growth rate by 2010
06/08/2010 - 265 Lượt xem
La Van Ly, Head of the MARD's Department for Cooperatives, told a conference on northern rural development that opened in Ha Noi on June 7 that the agricultural sector is determined to sustain national food security and increase both the quantity and price of rice exports.
The sector plans to equip the rural population with skills to make good decisions in production and business operations and work out production plans that meet market demands and tap local advantages. Efforts will be made to encourage farm production and build a system for expanding outlets for and processing, farm produce.
Incentives are necessary to encourage trained personnel, especially young people with systematic training as well as experienced and competent experts, to work in rural economies.
The northern region is comprised of 32 provinces, with 70 percent of the total population making its primary living through agricultural production, MARD reported. The regional economy recorded rapid and constant growth during 2000-05, at an average annual rate of 5 percent. Per-capita incomes increased from 3 million VND per year in 2000 to 5 million VND in 2005.
Thousands of hectares of wasteland in the northeastern, northwestern and northern central regions were reclaimed and put into production in the period under review, considerably contributing to the surge in food and fruit output. In the northern midland and mountainous region alone, the area of cultivated land was expanded by 4,306 hectares during the 2000-04 period.
Up to late 2005, northern provinces and cities boasted 22,600 farms, which generated over 140,000 jobs for the rural workforce.
Economic growth has enabled northern mountainous provinces to expand roads to 98 percent of their villages and supply safe water to 61.3 percent of local families.
Irrigation projects have helped water over 75 percent of cultivated land, while 98 percent of the districts have built well-equipped medical stations to provide primary healthcare for locals.
Source: VNA 07/06/2006
