Minister Le Minh Hoan: It is a shame to see sluggish performance of projects

According to the report on the implementation of the 2021-2025 mid-term public investment plan of projects supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the capital plan for 2023 is VND 9,852 billion, and VND 1,614 billion requested for extension from 2022 to 2023.

According to the implementation plan of the Department of Construction Management (MARD), 10 transitional projects from the previous medium-term are still under execution in 2023, including 5 big projects with massive volumes:

The Canh Tang Lake project in Hoa Binh and the Ban Mong Lake project in Nghe An have yet to have the government's approval on the procedures to adjust the investment policy and project component. Due to a considerable amount of migrants, site clearing operations in the Krong Pac Thuong lake project (Dak Lak) meet several obstacles. The Khe Lai - Vuc Mau 1 irrigation system project (Nghe An) has certain problems with the procedure for changing the forest use purpose. The Song Cho 1 lake project (Khanh Hoa) will proceed as scheduled and be finished in 2023.

According to Nguyen Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Construction Management, the capital allocated to these projects in 2023 is VND 975 billion. If the mentioned obstacles are removed, the disbursement rate can potentially reach 100%.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its agencies are dedicated to assisting investors in overcoming challenges in these transitional projects. Units and investors must also commit to adopting and performing effectively on the remaining workload," said Director Nguyen Hai Thanh.

Regarding the 2023 disbursement plan, the Department of Construction Management stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's overall disbursement capability is approximately 92.8%. Domestic capital is expected to achieve 97.8% owing to risks in the socioeconomic recovery program project "Creating a foundation database and information system for the agriculture and rural development sector."

ODA project disbursement only achieves 73.6% due to the risks of the JICA 3 project (disbursement capacity VND 314/584 billion), projects of the Management Board for Forestry Projects (disbursement capacity VND 145/239 billion), and colleges (disbursement capacity VND 97/127 billion).

Accordingly, for projects that have been approved, the Department of Construction Management will prioritize the approval of design and construction drawings, the organization of bidding, and the commencement of construction in 2023.

For projects that have not yet been approved, the department will collaborate with investors to expedite the approval process, and at the same time examine and report to Minister Le Minh Hoan to halt the implementation of projects that are not approved.

For projects that have already commenced work, the department will frequently convene meetings to assess and accelerate the progress, offer predictions as soon as possible, identify issues, and hasten the implementation schedule and payout.

Furthermore, the Department of Construction Management will manage capital in a flexible manner, prioritizing capital allocation for projects with high disbursement capacity.

Sharing his view with capital building investment units, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan not only emphasized the vital task of distribution but also reminded that the final goal in work was not about the pressure on disbursement.

The leader of the agriculture sector said, "it would be such a shame to see projects with sluggish execution impede irrigation and farmers' production. Disbursement is just a requirement for the construction to serve the community, individuals, and society. We should feel ashamed towards the people when we have money but cannot spend it and bring out the work to serve the people. The value is in each work we complete, not in the assigned capital".

According to the Personnel Committee Resolution, the Department of Construction Management proposes the Departments and Administratives urge investors to promptly finish the dossiers, submit them for evaluation, and approve the projects by June 30, 2023.

As a result, the Department of Planning, Construction Management, and other units will assess and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development that the projects have ceased implementing investment in accordance with the Personnel Committee's Decision. At the same time, request that the competent authorities adjust the medium-term capital 2021-2025 because some projects are allocated capital in the two medium-terms 2021-2025 and 2026-2030 but can actually be completed within this medium term, whereas many projects cannot be disbursed in this medium term.

The Department also recommended issuing regulations on the administration of ODA projects in the near future.