On the occasion of New Year, Nhan Dan held a conversation with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan on the opportunities and challenges of the agricultural sector in 2024 and its actions to gradually realise the Central Committee’s Resolution 19 on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas until 2030, with a vision for 2045.
During difficult times, Vietnam becomes a destination of food security
From the results achieved by the sector in the past year, what do you think about the efforts of farmers, the agricultural sector, and the country in adapting to market changes?
In 2023, amid a great deal of difficulties and challenges, especially in terms of markets, the agricultural sector still achieved outstanding results. The sector’s growth was estimated at 3.83%, while exports reached over 53 billion USD, continuing to affirm its role as the pillar of the economy, ensuring food security and major balances of the economy while helping to stabilise the macroeconomy.
From what has been achieved, we can see that our agricultural sector has adapted swiftly, and our business community and farmers responded rapidly to changes in the domestic and international markets.
Although there are still difficulties in some areas of the industry at certain times, such as fisheries, forestry, and livestock husbandry, thanks to the attention of the Party and State with flexible policies in opening up market; regular promotions and online conferences between countries and major markets; support from Vietnamese diplomatic agencies abroad, so basically our potentials are developed.
For example, in the context of difficult food security, Vietnam has become a food security destination for countries. Difficulties in food security have forced some countries with developed rice industries, such as India, to close their doors to ensure food security. Vietnam can both ensure domestic food security and participate in the global rice market.
This once again affirms that Vietnam is a responsible country with responsible, transparent, and sustainable agriculture.
To achieve recent results, the agricultural sector and farmers have also made strong "transformations" in thinking and action. Can you share more about that change?
Talking about change, the first thing to mention is the change in the market. Vietnam is gradually diversifying its markets and products. Previously, we sold products in the low-end market, but now Vietnam has many classes of products in the high-end, mid-range, and low-end markets. We are shifting from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economic thinking, from single-value to multi-value growth.
In the past, farmers only grew rice, but now there are many flexible models, such as rice-worm fields in Hai Duong and Hai Phong and shrimp-rice fields in the Mekong Delta. Vietnamese farmers have overcome the traditional mindset of growing only one industry, the mindset of pure rice. Agriculture is no longer just about growing crops and raising livestock but has been integrated into many industries to create higher value.
It can be seen that behind OCOP product certification, there is multi-value integration. Farmers no longer sell raw materials but have integrated local resources to create new product lines.
It also can be seen that the vitality of the agricultural industry still has a lot of room. Just changing thinking and production will create products adapted to different market segments. That is an opportunity for Vietnam to move towards a stable agricultural industry, an ecological agriculture that follows nature, organic agriculture, and ecologically circular agriculture. That is also the country's belief when entering 2024.
Change is an inevitable trend
To be able to enter the high-end markets as the Minister just mentioned, products must meet many criteria. Some criteria make it difficult for businesses and farmers. What do you think about this issue?
It’s time for us to realise the value of the agricultural products because domestic and international customers and consumers are now basing their purchases not only on the products but also their values. During my work with EU ambassadors, they shared their expectations that the products exported to the EU market will face more regulations in the near future.
For example, wood products will not only need to meet the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) but also consider whether or not the production uses child labour or fossil energy, or affects the environment and climate.
Even if the products with raw materials imported from foreign countries, it is necessary to trace if the impact factors of the countries importing the raw materials meet EU requirements or not. They will not import our products if they do not comply with regulations. That story may not have happened today, but regulations are certainly on the EU’s agenda.
From a simple perspective, we might think that European countries set difficult criteria to “coerce” us, but looking from an objective perspective, those criteria contribute to creating a healthy competitive environment among the countries.
European countries must also comply with the above regulations, and they are even the pioneers in applying those regulations towards a green, clean, and sustainable agriculture. When the regulations require high costs for production, a lack of strict regulations on products imported into their countries would create unfair competition for their products.
I want to emphasise again that we must adapt to changing trends. As the global greening trend becomes an irreversible trend, we should never wish to turn back to the old days.
The Prime Minister has affirmed that Vietnam is ready to commit to building sustainable agriculture. However, Vietnam is a developing country, so it needs the companionship of the EU to gradually move towards a firm agricultural industry, ecological and eco-friendly agriculture, organic agriculture, and circular agriculture.
European countries are also willing to share funding to help Vietnam gradually realise that goal. Change is an inevitable trend, and whichever country goes first will gain an advantage.
We often talk about green agriculture and green economy, but actually the term ‘green’ comes after the term ‘brown’.
In recent years, “green” has become a popular keyword, especially in agriculture, as we have heard about green agriculture and green thinking. So, can you share the message of green thinking and actions taken by the agricultural sector to develop green agriculture and green thinking?
When it comes to green thinking, I think it's time we position and be clear about the meaning of these two keywords. We often talk about green agriculture and green economy, but the word “green” comes after the word “brown”.
Previously, our economy was a brown economy, in which economic growth can deplete the environment. We use the environment to feed humans, causing environmental and biological distortions.
We thought we were creating an economy to feed people, but we forgot that by doing so, people were living in a polluted environment, which was also seriously injured. Humans cannot exist without a green environment around them. The green environment helps us return to a balance between the development and preservation of the ecosystem and the natural environment.
We used to think that if we want to promote economic development and growth, we must make trade-offs, but that situation can be solved with current technological developments. For example, in the past, we said that when growing high-yield and quality rice, we had to accept the effect of greenhouse gas emissions and when conducting high-value aquaculture, we must accept methane gas. By applying science and technology to agricultural production, we can realise the project of planting 1 million ha of high-quality rice and aquaculture projects aligned with ensuring sustainable development.
However, having green thinking and a green lifestyle must be a process. In developed countries, this issue is introduced into schools from the preschool level. Green thinking in students has been nurtured at the youngest levels and gradually developed at the higher levels. We have to transform to green right now, and we cannot wait to train students from the kindergarten level to create an ecosystem of green thinking and green lifestyle many years later. We must carry out both actions in parallel, including changing thinking and lifestyle and training the next generations to have green thinking and lifestyle. This is a long process, and if we don’t take action now we will fall behind.
Thank you!
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