Agriculture

Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Sejong on January 13 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agricultural cooperation and food safety and security.

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has forecasted Vietnamese rice will face tough competition from Thailand and other rice-exporting Asian nations in 2014.

Vietnam earned US$2.95 billion from exporting 6.61 million tonnes of rice in 2013, down 17.4% in volume and 19.7% in value.

The November Market Review by global rice market news provider Oryza has shown that that the price of Vietnamese rice remains the most expensive across Asia.

The Government has promulgated a series of additional preferential policies to encourage businesses to invest in agriculture and rural development.

The agricultural sector must export its potential products, said Dr Dang Kim Son, Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), in a recent interview with a VOV reporter.

Vietnam’s rice exports are not likely to reach the set target of 6.7 million tonnes this year, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh vowed all possible support for Vietnam – Canada joint farming projects while receiving Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz in Hanoi on November 29.

Vietnam’s agricultural sector has a bright future thanks to recent developments in its economic and business environment, according to Business Monitor International (BMI).

Viet Nam shipped over 5.7 million tons of rice and earned nearly US$ 2.5 billion in export revenue in the first ten months of this year, according to the Viet Nam Food Association (VFA).

Authorities in Vietnam are discussing solutions to rice production so as to increase the incomes of farmers who have continued to complain about modest profits.

Although Vietnam has ensured food security and exported large amounts of rice, its farmers feel hunger here and there.

Viet Nam and Mongolia should expand cooperation in agriculture, animal husbandry, industry, energy and processing in the coming time, said Deputy PM Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

Eleven countries have got permission to export vegetables and fruit to Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).   They are the US, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Chile, Cambodia, South Africa, and India.

South Korea has invested US$2.6 million on a fresh vegetable project in the northern province of Quang Binh, Cho Weon Dae, director of the Korean Project of International Agriculture (KOPIA) has revealed.

The Government has adopted multiple policies to prop up farms but farmers have still found it hard to gain access to much-needed financial support.A meeting between the Vietnam Association of Rural, Farmer Entrepreneurs and Farm-owners (VARFEF) and authorities heard several suggestions o­n how to help farm owners and agricultural enterprises benefit the government pro-farm policies, particularly Decree 61/2011/ND-CP.

The Hanoitimes -  Agricultural restructuring is essential to Vietnam's economic and social development, a conference heard yesterday.

Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus in agricultural, forestry and seafood exports last year while the increase in prices on the world market had an impact on export value but not added value or the quantity of exported products, exporters have said.In 2011, the agricultural, forestry and seafood sector gained a trade surplus of 9 billion USD and opened new export markets, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The agricultural sector had played a leading role in reducing the country's trade deficit, contributing to macroeconomic stability and improving living standards for rural people.

Vietnam exported 3.5 million tonnes of rice in the first six months of this year, earning $1.7 billion, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).