Vietnam's agriculture taking active and flexible moves to maintain growth during COVID-19 pandemic

According to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam has had timely follow market moves and demand for faring products during the latest resurgence of COVID-19.

For examples, after the national holidays, April 20 and May 1, trucks carrying farming products lined up for customs clearance at Hữu Nghị Bordergate in the northern province of Lang Son.

Local authorities timely implemented measures to clear the congestion at the border gate, helping the trucks cross the borderline smoothly.

Specific measures and initiatives have been taken to speed up the exports of farming products and meet the requirements of COVID-19 prevention and control. At border gates, there are groups of drivers who are specialising in driving agricultural products and goods to the other side of the borderlines. Vietnamese agencies discussed and negotiated with their Chinese counterparts to extend customs clearance working hours. Enterprises and associations are recommended to follow market demand and adjust the export volumes or use railways to deliver their products.

Localities nationwide have been more active and flexible to find output for their farming products. For example, Luc Ngan District People’s Committee in the northern province of Bắc Giang last year developed two options to support lychee growing farmers.

Under the first option, if the COVID-19 pandemic is under control and business is resumed as usual,  about 51,000 tonnes of fresh lychee would be sold in the domestic market, 53,000 tonnes for export and about 6,000 tonnes for processing to make dried fruit or fruit juice.

Under the second option, if the pandemic still develops complicated, about 60,000 tonnes of fresh lychee would be sold in the domestic market, 35,000 tonnes for export and 25,000 tonnes would be consumed in other channels.

Thanks to carefully planned options, the province last year earned nearly VND7 trillion from lychee. It also boosted trade promotion activities and last year was the first time, Bắc Giang lychee was exported to Japan – a demanding importer.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that in Vietnam‘s agriculture ecosystem, there were 13,500 firms, 17,000 co-operatives, 34,400 farms and 78.8 million farming households.

In the first four months of this year, despite natural disasters and diseases, the agriculture sector maintained high growth, in which, pig farming grew 11.1 per cent, poultry up 8.5 per cent, shrimp up 5.5 per cent.

Tien said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry kept asking food processing plants and material zones to meet disease prevention and control requirements.

“If the disease breaks out in a plant, the whole supply chain relating to the plant would be stopped,” he said, adding that when African Swine fever hit the country, people were not allowed to enter or leave some plants, thus some workers stayed at the plants for 3-6 months.

As Vietnam could properly control COVID-19, its agriculture sector could expand production and cultivation to increase productivity and ensure stable supply, Tien said.

COVID-19 disrupted global supply chains as COVID-19-hit countries reduced exports, which brought opportunities for Vietnamese farming products.

“Seeing the world’s high demand for shrimp, agriculture ministry called on localities to expand shrimp raising areas, improve quality of breeding, feeding, farming technique and processing to increase the value of Vietnamese shrimp,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the production and trade of farming products would face difficulties due to the complicated development of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Thus, the ministry has proposed support measures, calling for joint efforts by ministries and agencies to help the agriculture sector overcome such difficulties.

Accordingly, the agriculture ministry would co-operate with ministries, agencies and localities to implement measures speeding up production and consumption of farming products while still ensure COVID-19 prevention and control as the Government directed.

Local authorities were asked to closely follow the production and consumption of local farming products. Firms and farmers need to timely adjust their production plans based on market demand.

Individuals and firms are encouraged to buy local farmers farming products, particularly fruits, vegetables and aquaculture products.

Local authorities were asked to tighten management and inspection over the products’ quality to better meet domestic and export demand.

Associations and business community were instructed to access market information, Government’s policies, customs clearance schemes to timely adjust production and exports.

On the other hand, the ministry also asked functional agencies to strengthen inspections and supervision to prevent trade frauds or those that cause worries for producers and consumers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with ministries and agencies to guide localities in assisting businesses to access policies to remove difficulties in the storage of agricultural goods, transportation services, logistics and trade to promote circulation and consumption of agricultural goods.