 |
High-tech agricultural products are displayed at the seminar. |
On the morning of October 6, the Management Board of the High-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC (AHTP), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Institute of Public Policy and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, convened a seminar addressing the current state and strategies for the advancement of high-tech agriculture in HCMC, with a vision to 2045.
The seminar aims to assess the current situation, potential, opportunities, and challenges in the development of high-tech agriculture in HCMC.
According to Dr. Pham Dinh Dung, Head of the Management Board of the AHTP, HCMC has been focused on building infrastructure and establishing pioneering units in the high-tech agriculture field, such as AHTP, the Center for Biotechnology, and the High-Tech Dairy Demonstration and Experimental Farm.
Especially, the HCMC People's Committee has given its approval to the Plant and Animal Breeding Development Program and High-Tech Agriculture for the period 2020-2030. This strategic direction focuses on research and development in high-tech agriculture, with the aim of establishing HCMC as a national model in high-tech agriculture development.
In 2015, the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of HCMC's agricultural sector amounted to VND4.46 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 5.51 percent for the 2011-2015 period. In 2020, it rose to VND5.27 trillion, achieving an average growth rate of 3.38 percent for the 2016-2020 period, higher than the national agricultural GDP growth rate of 2.54 percent per year.
The agricultural land area has been steadily declining each year. From 2010 to 2015, the city saw a reduction of 700 hectares of agricultural land annually. During the 2015-2020 period, this reduction increased to 1,000 hectares per year. In the 2015-2020 period, the agricultural production value averaged approximately VND500 million per hectare. The objective is to increase the agricultural production value to VND900 million - VND1 billion per hectare per year by 2030.
According to Mr. Dinh Minh Hiep, Director of the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the shift toward high-tech agriculture has been the city's primary and essential direction for producing sizable, efficient, value-added, high-quality, environmentally friendly agricultural products. This direction is seen as appropriate, especially considering the shrinking agricultural land resources, bringing high incomes for farmers.
 |
An overview of the seminar |
The orientation for 2030 and the vision for 2045 involve the city continuing to research and add content to attract effective investments for the development of high-tech agriculture, particularly in the areas of land, capital, and science and technology.
In addition, the State plans to expand and upgrade the infrastructure of high-tech agricultural production areas, develop high-tech agricultural varieties while simultaneously addressing land-related procedural issues, accelerating construction progress, and soon adding two or three high-tech agricultural zones into operation.
Furthermore, the city prioritizes land leasing and allocation and offers a range of incentives related to infrastructure, science, technology, and the environment for high-tech agricultural cooperatives and businesses.
The city also encourages the involvement of high-tech agricultural producers in forming new high-tech agricultural cooperatives, enforces favorable loan policies for high-tech agricultural production, and establishes special mechanisms for credit support and land-related benefits, including tax exemptions and reduction during the initial business phase.
