Hanoi (VNA) – An additional325 communes were recognised as new style rural areas in January - April, 2017,a rise of 3.6 percent compared to end of 2016, announced the Ministry ofAgricultural and Rural Development (MARD).
The country has a total of 2,656 newstyle rural communes, 29.7 percent of the total.
The MARD devised a plan to develop15,000 efficient agricultural cooperatives by 2020 and worked with localitiesto implement the cooperative renovation campaign.
In mid-April, the ministry issuedcriteria and classification of agricultural cooperatives. It has been workingon policies to link agricultural production with consumption.
The national programme on buildingnew-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, includes 19criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, aiming to improverural areas.
The criteria cover infrastructuredevelopment, production capacity improvement, environmental protection andcultural value promotion.-VNA