The agriculture sector shows strong performance in tough year - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – 2020 has been a toughyear for the agricultural sector with various risks and challenges fromCOVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters and climate change impacts such as drought, saltwaterintrusion and flooding, according to Associate Prof. Dr. Dao The Anh, ViceDirector of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS).
The pandemic has affected the circulation of goods,especially products depending on exports and fresh products such as fruits andaquatic products, he said at an online discussion on December 24 to look backon the sector’s performance in the year.
Processed products with long expire dates like rice haveseen less impacts, he added.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Son, President of the Vietnam Poultry Association, saidthat under impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, domestic consumption of breeding products fell considerably. Meanwhile, animal feed materials rose 5-10 percent due to low supply,posing difficulties to farmers.
Son commented that the figure of 41.25 billion USD in Vietnam’sexport revenue of agro-forestry-fisheries products in 2020 is impressive.
Along with timely directions from the Government, ministriesand sector, Vietnam has shown strong performance in dealing with difficultiesin market, while enjoying export opportunities from free trade agreementsincluding the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-PacificPartnership, and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), he said.
Hoang Van Tu, a representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) in Vietnam, said that Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fisheries exports stillexpanded while many other countries suffered drops, even by 30 percent. Heattributed the result to the country’s success in controlling the pandemic andstabilise production. The country has managed to fill the market gap left byother countries, he added.
Associate Prof. Dr. Dao The Anh said that the majorcontributions of the agricultural sector include ensuring food security of thecountry, meeting domestic demands and export. The sector has also helpedprovide jobs for labourers from informal sectors in urban areas who lost their jobs due toCOVID-19.
Son held that agriculture has shown its key role in thecountry’s economy, while supporting other sectors.
In the future, Tu asserted that natural disasters will bemore severe in the future, while market competitions will become fiercer,requesting Vietnam to design a strategy to develop sustainable agriculturalsector with diverse products and markets by sustainable and responsibleproduction.
He stressed the need for the sector to speed up technologytransfer and conduct new agricultural models to ensure food security.
At the same time, the State should support the improvementof capacity for farmers and production facilities, enabling them to join thevalue chains.
Son pointed to three risk factors facing the sector –natural disasters, pandemic and market, highlighting the necessity to prepareresponding scenarios.
The sector should also speed up administrative reforms,while considering the adjustment of land use policies to facilitate investmentin agriculture, he added./.
