The MARD and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union sign cooperation agreement

Chairman of the Central Committee of the VFU, Luong Quoc Doan, emphasized the views of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: "In the relationship among agriculture, farmers and rural areas: Farmers are the subject and the center; the countryside is the foundation and agriculture is the driving force”.

This point of view confirms the necessity to strengthen the close and effective coordination between the MARD - a state management agency - and the VFU - a socio-political organization of the Vietnamese farmers - in the new period.

"The coordination program specifically identifies five groups of content that need attention and direction in the coming period," said the chairman.

Leaders of the Ministry and Central Committee also agreed to assign tasks to 10 focal units of the two agencies to be responsible for advising and organizing the implementation of each group of contents and solutions while periodically reporting to the leaders of the two agencies to evaluate and solve any arising problems and difficulties.

According to Le Duc Thinh, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development, under the MARD, the two sides would coordinate to promote the application of science and technology in agricultural production towards safety, efficiency and sustainable development.

The ratio of production area with proper agricultural practice is targeted to reach from 15-20 per cent by 2025, he added.

To achieve such a target, the two units agreed to jointly guide members and farmers to apply high technology and ecological agriculture in the direction of a circular economy, and promote digital transformation in agriculture associated with the application of technical processes and GAP standards.

Regarding the development of collective economy and agricultural cooperatives, it is necessary to mobilize and support farmers to participate in building cooperatives to develop concentrated raw material areas and build value chains in 11 provinces and 75 districts according to the Project on Development of Material Areas for Processing and Consumption of Agricultural and Forestry Products in the 2021 - 2025 period of the MARD.

At the same time, the two sides agreed on the construction and development of about 1,000 Vocational Farmers' Associations and Professional Farmers' Associations according to the principle of "5 selfs" (voluntary, self-conscious, autonomous, self-governing, self-responsible) and “5 mutuals” (mutual field of labor, production line, business and service; mutual interest; mutual sharing; mutual responsibility; mutual benefit).

Along with that, agricultural organizations like Farmers' Association, Billionaire Farmer's Club; Good Farmer's Club; Rural Entrepreneurs Club; Farmers' Scientists Club will be built.

The two units will also implement the initiative "Every farmer is a trader" in association with the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) Program. Meanwhile, meetings among cooperatives, productive and creative farmers will be held periodically.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan expressed his wish that the MARD and the Central Committee of VFU; the MARD and the Farmers' Unions of the provinces and cities would collaborate closely to improve the image of Vietnamese farmers as well as their temperament and intelligence.

The leader of the agriculture sector emphasized that all projects and action programs of the MARD in all fields like new rural construction, cultivation, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry... must be associated with the word "farmer". And the first local organizations that the MARD needs to collaborate  with are the Farmers' Unions at all levels as they are farmers’ organizations.

“I have read in many documents and learned from the experiences of many developed countries about the importance of a human approach, meaning farmers should be approached first. Only then could we put the farmers in their right position," said the Minister.