Hanoi (VNA)ಞ – Hanoi has set a target to complete new-style rural building by 2025 in a sustainable and effective manner, heard a recent conference held by the municipal Party Committee.

The conference reviewed the mid-term implementation of a local programme on new-style rural development in association with agricultural restructuring and rural economic development for 2021-2025 (Programme 04). Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Dai said that Programme No. 04 plays a significant role in the development of the capital’s agriculture, farmers, and rural areas. It has so far achieved positive outcomes thanks to the concerted efforts and engagement of the entire political system and the people, Dai noted. According to a preliminary report delivered at the conference, the programme has 33 criteria, of which 23 have been completed. By the end of 2021, the capital city had 100% of communes meeting the new-style rural standards, fulfilling the goals set by the programme for 2021-2025. In 2022, the city recognised 63 communes as advanced rural areas, exceeding the assigned target of 38 communes. This year, local districts and towns have registered to add 61 more to the number of advanced rural communes. It is expected that by the end of 2023, Hanoi will have a total of 172 communes of this kind, an increase of 16 compared to the goal set for the entire period toward 2025. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that agriculture in general and new-style rural construction in particular in the capital need to be different from other provinces and cities. It is the cultural value, historical identity, and imprints of Hanoi landmarks translated into the local products, he said, adding that these features seem invisible but are important to form brands and increase the value of local products. In the 2023-2025 period, Hanoi will focus on accelerating the restructuring progress of the agricultural sector, renewing its growth model following the promotion of clean, organic, and ecological farming. Also prioritised is creating favourable conditions for businesses to invest in agriculture and rural areas to create more jobs and improve people's incomes. The city is striving to complete the task of the new-style rural building by 2025, effectively manage and use land and water resources, protect the environment, conserve biodiversity, sustainably develop ecosystems, proactively respond to natural disasters, adapt to climate change, and ensure agricultural production and people's safety. A new set of criteria for new-style rural communes and another for advanced new-style rural communes for the 2021-2025 period were issued on March 8, 2022, following Decision No.318/QD-TTg. Under the decision, a new-style rural commune has to meet 19 criteria in many fields, including planning, socioeconomic infrastructure, economy and production, socio-culture, and the environment. The criteria are specified for different regions. Specifically, a new-style commune must have 80% of its farming area with active irrigation systems. In general, per-capita income must be 48 million VND (2,100 USD) per year on average in 2022. In particular, the per-capita income is 39 million VND for northern mountainous and north-central regions. It is 53 million VND for the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions and 63 million VND for the southeastern region. The communes should have cooperatives that operate effectively along with production-selling connection models, implementing origin tracking regulations on their major products and developing farming areas to meet VietGAP standards. At the same time, they must satisfy criteria on health care insurance coverage, the rate of malnutrition among children under five years old, and the rate of residents having electronic medical records. They must show strong performance in environmental protection, especially waste treatment systems, along with criteria on food safety. Meanwhile, an advanced new-style rural commune must meet all criteria of a basic new-style rural area and have higher standards across all 19 criteria, according to the decision. Particularly, the per-capita income in an advanced new-style rural commune is 58 million VND per year on average in 2022, and varies from 47 million VND to 76 million VND per year in different regions./.