Applying advanced technology can lead to breakthroughs in theagriculture sector, Science and Technology Minister Nguyen Quan tellsNong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today).
*A report by yourministry says there are 10,895 scientists working in agriculturaltechnology with an annual 1 trillion VND (46.7 million USD) budget forscientific research in agriculture. Then why is that we have not seenany major breakthrough in the agriculture sector?
First, I'dlike to clarify that those 10,895 scientists are working for theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (not just in agriculturalresearch).
Second, the annual 1 trillion VND budget is notdedicated entirely to Research and Development (R&D). The budgetmust cover other expenses and R&D at the same time. And if we divide1 trillion VND by more than 10, 000 scientists working in more than 100institutions across the country, the sum that can be allocated for eachwould be quite small.
At the national level, we do not invest alot of money in R&D. It is just about 10 percent of what othercountries in the region are spending.
But we should alsoacknowledge that Vietnam has come a long way. From a country which hadto import food products we are now exporting them in large quantities.The annual export value of our agricultural and fishery products isabout 30 billion USD, which is about 20 percent of the country's totalexports.
There are good models of agricultural production in thecountry, like the An Giang Plant Protection JSC. The provinces of ThaiBinh and Nghe An are making effective investments in developingagricultural technology. I believe that in the near future, Vietnam willbecome a country with an advanced and modernised agriculture sector.
*InJune last year, you spoke about implementing the latest breakthroughsin food preservation technologies from Japan and Israel. What has beendone since?
Preservation technology plays an important role inVietnam's strategy to improve the value of our food products but it willtake more than a year to master and apply the technology.
TheMinistry of Science and Technology has successfully used the "Cash"technology from Japan and "Juran" technology from Israel to preserve anumber of our products including tuna, shrimp and litchi fruit.
Wemay master advanced technologies but what is equally important isfinding markets that will accept our products. The Government has taskedthe Ministry of Commerce to approach and negotiate conditions forVietnamese food products to enter new markets like Japan.
Arecent example of Vietnam’s effort on this front is the acquiring oftuna fishing and preservation technology Cash, both from Japan.
Weare also working on a project to build a seafood factory equipped withthe latest preservation technology. We aim to increase both the qualityand quantity of our products for exports.
*Genetically enhancedcrops are considered a double-edged sword. Vietnam will have to importseeds while it is still not clear what negative effects they will haveon the environment. What's your opinion?
Genetically enhancedagricultural crops offer better resistance against diseases and insectsas well as higher yields. It's true that for the time being we will haveto depend on imported seed varieties, but that's why our scientists areworking to develop the country's biotechnology industry so that we canbecome independent.
In fact, our scientists have alreadysuccessfully researched new corn and bean varieties. They have to gothrough a process of careful observation and study before we canintroduce them to farmers. Even then, the implementation will be limitedto a small scale. We must not overlook any negative effects they mayhave on human health and the environment.-VNA
*A report by yourministry says there are 10,895 scientists working in agriculturaltechnology with an annual 1 trillion VND (46.7 million USD) budget forscientific research in agriculture. Then why is that we have not seenany major breakthrough in the agriculture sector?
First, I'dlike to clarify that those 10,895 scientists are working for theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (not just in agriculturalresearch).
Second, the annual 1 trillion VND budget is notdedicated entirely to Research and Development (R&D). The budgetmust cover other expenses and R&D at the same time. And if we divide1 trillion VND by more than 10, 000 scientists working in more than 100institutions across the country, the sum that can be allocated for eachwould be quite small.
At the national level, we do not invest alot of money in R&D. It is just about 10 percent of what othercountries in the region are spending.
But we should alsoacknowledge that Vietnam has come a long way. From a country which hadto import food products we are now exporting them in large quantities.The annual export value of our agricultural and fishery products isabout 30 billion USD, which is about 20 percent of the country's totalexports.
There are good models of agricultural production in thecountry, like the An Giang Plant Protection JSC. The provinces of ThaiBinh and Nghe An are making effective investments in developingagricultural technology. I believe that in the near future, Vietnam willbecome a country with an advanced and modernised agriculture sector.
*InJune last year, you spoke about implementing the latest breakthroughsin food preservation technologies from Japan and Israel. What has beendone since?
Preservation technology plays an important role inVietnam's strategy to improve the value of our food products but it willtake more than a year to master and apply the technology.
TheMinistry of Science and Technology has successfully used the "Cash"technology from Japan and "Juran" technology from Israel to preserve anumber of our products including tuna, shrimp and litchi fruit.
Wemay master advanced technologies but what is equally important isfinding markets that will accept our products. The Government has taskedthe Ministry of Commerce to approach and negotiate conditions forVietnamese food products to enter new markets like Japan.
Arecent example of Vietnam’s effort on this front is the acquiring oftuna fishing and preservation technology Cash, both from Japan.
Weare also working on a project to build a seafood factory equipped withthe latest preservation technology. We aim to increase both the qualityand quantity of our products for exports.
*Genetically enhancedcrops are considered a double-edged sword. Vietnam will have to importseeds while it is still not clear what negative effects they will haveon the environment. What's your opinion?
Genetically enhancedagricultural crops offer better resistance against diseases and insectsas well as higher yields. It's true that for the time being we will haveto depend on imported seed varieties, but that's why our scientists areworking to develop the country's biotechnology industry so that we canbecome independent.
In fact, our scientists have alreadysuccessfully researched new corn and bean varieties. They have to gothrough a process of careful observation and study before we canintroduce them to farmers. Even then, the implementation will be limitedto a small scale. We must not overlook any negative effects they mayhave on human health and the environment.-VNA
