Minister Do Duc Duy: Strengthening production linkages to foster growth in crop production

 Making up half of agricultural exports

 On March 3, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy and Deputy Minister Hoang Trung led a meeting to lay out essential directives, execute new programs, and develop strategic plans to accelerate crop production and plant protection in the next years.

 The Minister emphasized that only through enhanced cooperation and robust production linkages can the crop production sector achieve transformative growth, ensuring both sustainability and responsiveness to domestic and international market demands.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment says crop productivity and plant protection have advanced significantly.  These innovations have helped ensure food security, supply processing industry raw materials, and improve agricultural exports.  Rice, vegetables, and industrial crops have helped the sector extend its export markets, contributing 50% to the overall agricultural export value.  In addition, modern technology and organic farming have improved product quality and value, increasing Vietnam's position in the global agricultural market.

 The nation has large-scale, concentrated agricultural producing zones with advanced scientific and technological breakthroughs. The sector has made great strides, but it still confronts many obstacles, including high input costs, climate change's effects on productivity, severe international rivalry, environmental pollution, and pesticide abuse.  Vietnamese agricultural products are less competitive globally due to these issues.

 Given the current economic and agricultural production landscape, Minister Do Duc Duy stressed that the agricultural sector, particularly crop production and plant protection, must work hard to maintain an annual growth rate of nearly 4% to meet the national economic growth target of 8% by 2025.  The Minister said this aim demands a thorough examination and strategic modifications in each area, focusing on crop output and plant protection.

 His example was the livestock industry, which has a 4.9% growth target.  If it maximizes its potential, the industry could exceed this target.  This shows that agricultural productivity can expand significantly with smart and well-planned strategies.  Minister Do Duc Duy said crop production must expand to ensure food security and boost Vietnamese agricultural exports.

 Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung discussed crop production issues at the meeting.  Although Vietnam accounts for roughly 50% of total agricultural exports, its principal agricultural goods, such as rice, fruits, and industrial crops, have effectively infiltrated worldwide markets.  Technical methods, quality standards, and legal frameworks have also supported industry growth.

 Production organization is variable, and many provinces struggle to develop sustainable farmer-business supply chains.  This lack of cooperation has caused variable product quality, hurting Vietnamese agricultural products' international brand presence.

Another important concern is seed development.  This area has seen several high-quality crop types introduced, but innovation is gradual, especially in difficult climate change conditions.  Many crop varieties are still unadapted to new environmental difficulties, resulting in low productivity and quality.

 In the Mekong Delta, agricultural input costs remain high despite initiatives to reduce them.  Plant protection agencies and field stations often struggle with manpower and finances, limiting inspection and monitoring.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung offered many methods to boost crop productivity in response to these difficulties. He stressed the need of trading with China and other potential countries to preserve and grow export markets.  Improving Vietnamese agricultural exports requires product quality and international standards.

Promoting agricultural processing to boost crop value and limit raw material exports is another important method. Deputy Minister Hoang Trung also advocated for increased research and development of high-quality crop types and better production organization to strengthen farmer, cooperative, processing, and exporter relations.

 These steps can help Vietnam's crop production sector overcome obstacles, improve competitiveness, and boost economic growth.

 Developing production linkages to drive breakthroughs in agriculture

Minister Do Duc Duy stressed that strong production connections boost agriculture output growth.  Vietnam's agriculture was mostly self-sufficient, with farmers selling directly to consumers. To increase added value, farmers, cooperatives, and processing-export firms must improve production links.

Minister Do Duc Duy said that two well-connected supply chain businesses in Soc Trang exported 2 million tons of rice, contributing to the national export target of 8 million tons. This collaborative strategy boosts productivity and stabilizes farmers and companies.

 The Minister was optimistic that strong production links, scientific advances, and digital transformation would boost Vietnamese agricultural products' value and credibility abroad. He stressed the importance of tightly integrated supply chains for key agricultural products like fruits and vegetables, arguing that technology and digitalization would boost product value and Vietnam's agricultural reputation.

 The rapid growth of high-tech and organic agriculture has shown that Vietnamese farmers are becoming more aware, innovative, and eager to adopt scientific production methods. Minister Do Duc Duy feels this lays the groundwork for future crop output development.

 The Minister also suggested a circular economy in crop production, admitting that Vietnam is still struggling to manage and use agricultural waste. Agricultural waste is precious but underutilized, he said.

 "This issue requires a well-organized structure and legal framework for resource exploitation and use, not only technology. International integration requires rapid refinement of legislation, policies, and processes to promote crop production's circular economy", Minister Do Duc Duy remarked.

 The Minister recommended ongoing legal framework assessment and refinement to quickly overcome policy implementation constraints. He underlined that regulatory frameworks must match real-world realities to support growth. He also recommended the rapid completion of uniform regulations and technical requirements for agricultural government management to promote smooth governance.

 Minister Do Duc Duy stressed the importance of monitoring climate, market, and local agency conditions to alter production schedules and crop structures. A proactive approach would protect seasonal harvests and ensure high-quality agricultural products fulfill market demands.

 He stressed the need for comprehensive soil health and plant nutrition solutions to sustain Vietnam's agriculture sector. To improve sector efficiency, the Minister suggested reviewing administrative procedures to reduce processing times and streamline bureaucratic requirements.

 Finally, Minister Do Duc Duy stressed the need to restructure and optimize plant protection bureaus and field stations to better forecast, monitor, and prevent plant diseases. Strengthening these institutions will help Vietnam preserve agricultural stability and global competitiveness.