The statement was made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at an online conference in Hanoi on January 3 to review the agricultural sector’s performance in 2018 and review plans for 2019.
Speaking at the event, the PM appreciated achievements that the sector gained in 2018, particularly the improvement of farmers’ lives.
The Government leader emphasised the target of bringing Vietnam into the group of 15 countries with the most developed agriculture, particularly among the top 10 agricultural processors in the world.
PM Phuc asked the agricultural sector to reach high growth of over 3% and raise the export turnover to over US$43 billion. In addition, there must be 50% of communes and at least 70 units at district level that meet new-style rural area standards, while the forest coverage rate must reach over 41.85%, he added.
The PM noted that the MARD should promote creations as well as remove backward institutions in order to achieve higher results than the set targets.
It is crucial to enhance the market development as well as the forecast of supply and demand, particularly building brands and developing markets for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery products, he said.
Regarding the building of new-style rural areas, PM Phuc asked localities to pay much attention to the criteria of people’s income as well as their material and spiritual lives.
