Rice and forest land must be protected and developed

On the morning of October 27 the National Assembly organized a direct discussion on the Draft Resolution on a number of specific mechanisms and policies to develop Hai Phong City and the province of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Nguyen Thi Kim Anh (the Bac Ninh Delegation) said environmental, economic and social impact assessment must be considered carefully. In particular we should pay attention to livelihoods of rural people who depend on agriculture and forest resources. Sustainable development must be top priority for the future. There is no trade-off between economy and environment. Preserving natural resources for the next generation is our responsibility.  

 “First, I agree that the National Assembly should issue Resolution on specific policies to develop four provinces including Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue as mentioned in the reports of the Government and the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget Committee,” said Nguyen Thi Kim Anh.

According to Nguyen Thi Kim Anh the four provinces have their own potentials and strengths. Therefore the issuance of the specific policies will act as a push and a motivation for the development, contributing to the growth not only local but also regional and national.

‘I propose that the National Assembly, the Government and the provinces should pay great attention to land management in the draft resolution on allowing the provincial People’s Council to decide on transferring land use rights, in particular for rice and forest land,” Nguyen Thi Kim Anh added.

The member of the Bac Ninh Delegation said it will be the solution to empower local authorities and facilitate them to be proactive on their actions, shortening the process of handling administrative procedures, making a breakthrough for the development.

Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, the two provinces asking for taking the initiative in transferring  forest land, are the two localities with high forest coverage at 53.46 % and 58.50% respectively higher than the national average forest coverage at 42% . Forests are especially important in terms of national defense, security, environment and rural people’s livehoods for thousands of years

Vietnam has nearly 33 million hectares of natural forests (mainland), mainly hilly and mountainous areas (accounting for around 70%).  Arable land for high-yield rice crops accounts for only a small proportion, mostly concentrated in alluvial basins of the major rivers, flat lands or densely populated areas. As a result, in recent years more and more rice land has been converted to into other purposes.

To form an area for growing two or more rice crops a year it takes tens of years to build up and improve the soil. Even for the soil suitable for rice cultivation, its structure will be broken if the land is converted into other purposes.

Forest land, especially protective forest is a source of water which needs to be protected and developed to ensure the security of water, the second strategic resources after human.   

Deputy Nguyen Thi Kim Anh suggested that the National Assembly needs to sustain the institutions that strictly control power of local authorities, adding that power and responsibility must go hand-in-hand.

The Government needs to develop power control mechanism, regularly conducting supervision and inspection to make sure that rice and forest land is used properly.