'Discard product planning in the field of agriculture is a great stride'

The National Assembly debated the implementation of planning policies and regulations on May 30 following the enactment of the Law on Planning. 

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan discussed two perspectives on the Law on Planning and agricultural product planning at the meeting.

According to the Minister, they were among the topics that the Standing Committee on Supervision of the National Assembly gave close attention to.

It is crucial to have a self-regulating space

Invoking the "VUCA" acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, Minister Le Minh Hoan stated that developing a strategy for the next five, 10, or even dozens of years is not an easy task.

In the face of rapid changes in the domains of science, technology, and the market, it is impossible to formulate a comprehensive plan; nonetheless, we should split the plan into two levels to display the planning grade.

Specifically, hardware is the space where the State may interfere, while the second space is for the market to self-regulate. 

Minister Le Minh Hoan stated, "Five years ago, we had not addressed the green economy or climate change, but now they dominate the whole economy, from industry to agriculture and other relevant issues."

Rejecting agricultural product planning is a breakthrough

Regarding product planning, the agriculture industry leader emphasized that abandoning product planning, particularly in the agriculture sector, is a significant step forward because it is an expanding industry.

"We may be either a seller or a buyer of an agricultural commodity," Minister Le Minh Hoan explained. "When we create a strategy to sell agriculture products to a market, numerous other nations with the same items would seek the market."

According to the Minister, it was unpredictable how the market was affected by Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict developments. Unexpected things prevent us from establishing a fixed plan for a product line.

Minister Le Minh Hoan stated, in response to the question of whether alternative tools may be used to manage risks in agriculture, that it is vital to transform one's perspective from agricultural production to agricultural economy and diversify goods and markets.

Specifically, he noted that it is not necessary to predetermine the number of hectares or yields in a plan, but it is essential to plan each ecological region to design a suitable investment strategy, and support strategy, from which an ecosystem or commodities sector is built.

Citing an example, he stated that certain agricultural countries in the world have established an ecosystem consisting of industry associations, cooperatives (agencies, organizations), and the institution that advises farmers on what crops to grow, what livestock to raise, how much to plant and how much to harvest. The state cannot mandate that ecological workflow.

In the case of rigorous planning, there are two issues to resolve: first, whether the items within the planning area might be guaranteed, and second if the products outside the planning region are legal and marketable.

"I believe that it is impossible. Consequently, MARD's agricultural and rural development policy must immediately construct a commodities line ecology.

In addition to the state merely assisting the market, science, technology, money, consultant, and training while farmers and the commodities line must function independently ", Minister Le Minh Hoan added.