WASI wants to be independent, then must cooperate with businesses

On the morning of April 4, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien with the delegation to visit and work at the Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute (WASI).

WASI was established in 1997 and now has affiliated units such as: Eakmat Coffee Technology Transfer and Research Center; Pepper Research and Development Center; Lam Dong Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Research Center.

WASI carries out 40-80 scientific and technology transfer missions every year. Most of these tasks involve transferring technology to units inside and outside Dak Lak province. As for the number of tasks using the State budget, the annual average is only 6-8 tasks.

Specifically, in the 2016-2023 period, WASI Institute has 6 new selected plant varieties recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including avocado, coffee, pepper, mulberry... The Institute has built many technology transfer models into production with a total area of hundreds of hectares. In which coffee is the main force, followed by pepper, fruit trees, and high-tech application models. These models have been promoting the effectiveness of transferring science into production.

In addition to carrying out domestic tasks, WASI has made substantial progress in international cooperation. From just a few cooperations, now, each year, the Institute has over ten cooperations with a 2023 budget of more than VND 13.6 billion.

According to Mr. Tran Vinh, Acting Director of the Central Highlands Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology, the unit has implemented partial financial autonomy despite difficulties. Still, in recent years, it has completed its assigned tasks. At the same time, the lives of officials and employees are guaranteed.

However, Mr. Vinh also said that the Institute encountered some difficulties with research equipment because it was increasingly outdated; Facilities degraded after many years of use; Funds for regular expenditure and ensuring the unit's operations were not enough; The recognition of crucial plant varieties does not have specific instructions, so the researched varieties have not officially been brought to the market...

Since then, Mr. Vinh requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to synchronously invest in equipment and upgrade facilities to replace old equipment.

"The Ministry needs a long-term seed research program with stable annual funding. The Ministry also needs to accelerate the adoption of Vietnamese standards on varieties, testing, and recognition of facilities eligible for testing..." Mr. Vinh added.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien highly appreciated the results that WASI Institute has achieved in recent years. Since then, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien requested the leadership and staff of WASI to unite and continue to promote their advantages to deserve to be the region's leading agricultural research and technology transfer institute.

Regarding the difficulties faced by the WASI, the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requested that the Institute have financial autonomy and ensure the lives of officials and employees.

"If you want to be autonomous, the unit must cooperate with businesses. Institute leaders must know how to take advantage of and promote land potential and appropriately use high-quality human resources to have many breakthrough research. WASI needs to develop strategies and responsibilities for each unit so that the unit can develop," Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized.

The Central Highlands Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology was established under Decision No. 930, dated November 3, 1997, by the Prime Minister, with the tasks of scientific research, technology transfer consulting, and international cooperation on agriculture and forestry to serve the Central Highlands region's socio-economic development and serve the Ministry's management and direction. Since then, the unit has completed the political tasks the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assigned, actively contributing to the development of agriculture and rural areas in the Central Highlands. Under the direction of the Director of the Institute, the leadership team, and all officials and employees, the Institute's employees are proud to have made many significant contributions to enhancing the value of Vietnamese coffee products. In particular, the Institute's research results on coffee plants have improved productivity and product quality, making Vietnam the world's second-largest coffee-exporting country.

With a team of young, dynamic, revolutionary, and professionally qualified scientific research staff, the Institute has helped the Institute get closer to many remote and isolated areas and ethnic minority areas. Thereby lighting the fire for agricultural production, joining hands to build new rural areas, and helping people increase their income.