Total export turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in the first 6 months of this year exceeded 29 billion USD, up 19% over the same period in 2023, aiming for the whole year’s target of 57-58 billion USD.
At the 2024 Agriculture Forum event organized by the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in collaboration with the Vietnam Business Forum Magazine, Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that agricultural productivity by traditional methods has reached the threshold.
In recent years, Vietnam’s agriculture has maintained a growth rate of 3-4%, especially from 2021 to present. The export value of agricultural products in 2023 alone reached 53 billion USD.
Currently, Vietnam holds many records in exporting pangasius, rice, coffee, cashew nuts, black pepper, tea, cassava and wood products. However, natural resources are increasingly depleted, making it difficult to expand cultivated land or have to convert it into urban land or gradually degrade, and there is a lack of water…
In addition, regulations on food safety and technical environmental barriers of countries around the world, most notably new regulations on anti-deforestation in Europe, also pose many challenges to the agricultural sector.
Agricultural exports forecast to reach 57-58 billion USD
According to Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, Vice President of VCCI, Vietnam’s agricultural sector continues to develop in both scale and production level, being a pillar of the economy, ensuring national food security.
Statistics for the first 6 months of 2024 show that the GDP growth rate of the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector reached 3.38%, the highest in the past 5 years. Total export turnover exceeded 29 billion USD, an increase of 19% over the same period in 2023, thereby aiming for the export target of agriculture, forestry and fishery for the whole year to reach 57-58 billion USD, 2-3 billion USD higher than the target assigned by the Government.
However, Vietnam’s agricultural sector is dominated by tens of millions of farmers with limited production scale, low technology level, low labor productivity, vulnerable and affected by the development of industries.
| VCCI Vice President believes that agriculture needs to change its development mindset to agricultural economy. Photo: VCCI. |
According to the VCCI leader, Vietnamese agriculture cannot continue to compete on the basis of low cost, labor-intensive and resource-based. Therefore, it is necessary to change the mindset in agricultural development, that is, to shift from agricultural production to agricultural economy.
Mr. Phong said that the industrial revolution 4.0 has spread widely to many countries. In the context that the world is facing many challenges such as geopolitical conflicts, depletion of natural resources, shrinking cultivated areas, global warming, saltwater intrusion, etc., promoting the application of science and technology in economic sectors in general and agriculture in particular is urgent.
Developing agricultural production chain
Instead of simply developing high-tech agriculture, Mr. Hoang Quang Phong said that developing smart agriculture, applying 5.0 technology to commodity agriculture is one of the trends being applied by many businesses, farmers, and cooperatives and has proven its effectiveness, contributing to bringing a new look to the agricultural sector.
“Industrial Revolution 5.0 focuses on cooperation between humans and machines, thereby improving workers’ skills, providing added value in production leading to customization and personalization of goods,” the Vice President of VCCI shared.
When applying 5.0 technology with modern science and technology goes hand in hand with producers, millions of farmers will have access to and be trained in skills to adapt to new technology, creating multi-value agricultural products for sustainable agriculture.
Besides, to form a smart agricultural production chain applying the 5.0 industrial revolution that is most suitable for the characteristics of Vietnam’s agricultural sector, there needs to be coordination between people, businesses and related managers, ministries and sectors.
According to Mr. Ha Van Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Agricultural Business Council (VCAC), in order for science, technology and innovation to become the foundation of smart agriculture and sustainable development, the approach needs to focus on scientific organizations and agricultural businesses.
This person believes that smart agriculture requires smart human resources. In fact, Vietnamese farmers and agricultural workers in general still practice agriculture in the traditional way.
Mink Khanh
Source: Knowledge Magazine/ ZNews
