The application of high technologies was vital for the development ofagriculture, as it was entering a new stage, stated Minister ofAgriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.
Phat announcedat a conference on May 15 that Vietnam's agriculture sector was movingtowards larger production scale and higher value-added agriculture.
"Todo so, high-tech agriculture is necessary, which will increasecompetitiveness and better meet consumers' demand, particularly forexport," he added.
Head of Agriculture Department under PartyCentral Committee's Economic Commission, Nguyen Van Tien, stated thatduring the past, high-tech agriculture had yet to create a breakthroughin restructuring the sector and increasing value-added agriculture.
"More investment and support policies in developing sciences and technologies for agriculture are required," he noted.
Foryears, investment in agriculture was not in line with the contributionagriculture made for gross domestic production (GDP).
In 2012alone, agriculture made up to 19.7 percent of GDP, but investment in thesector only accounted for five percent of the government's totalinvestment.
Tien stated that financial incentives were requiredto encourage research institutions and public and private sectors tojoin in the high-tech development of agriculture.
Director ofVietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry branch in southern Can Thocity, Vo Hung Dung, stated that Vietnamese agricultural products had lowadded value because for a long time, focus was on production stagerather than market study and consumption stage.
For example,when growing rice, Vietnam sold rice as the only output, but rice huskcould have been useful for many industries including energy.
"Nowis the time we must pay more attention on market study and then investtechnologies that help to provide products that meet consumers'demands," he noted.
Director General of Da Lat FlowerBiotechnology Joint Stocks Company, Nguyen Dinh Son, stated that thecompany hardly had access to middle-term loans, so it could not investand upgrade technology synchronously.
He added that now, the company could access short-term loans.
He recommended that State Bank should allow borrowers to mortgage with asset that was formed with the loans.
Accordingto him, the collateral should be the glasshouse, as it could encourageenterprises to build, supply and transfer greenhouse technique forfarming enterprises and households, he added.
Director of theState Bank of Vietnam's Credit Department, Nguyen Viet Manh, pointed outthat the bank and the ministries of agriculture and finance werestudying and have mapped out pilot policies to credit for high-techagriculture projects.
The pilot programme aimed to reduce inputcost by offering preferential loans, Manh noted, adding that thedisbursement will give priority to projects that farmers and enterpriseswere working together in applying high technologies.
State BankGovernor Nguyen Van Binh noted that agriculture was a prioritisedsector for crediting this year, in particular high-tech applications inagriculture. Till last year, credit for agriculture reached 672 trillionVND, nearly 20 percent higher than that of 2012.-VNA
Phat announcedat a conference on May 15 that Vietnam's agriculture sector was movingtowards larger production scale and higher value-added agriculture.
"Todo so, high-tech agriculture is necessary, which will increasecompetitiveness and better meet consumers' demand, particularly forexport," he added.
Head of Agriculture Department under PartyCentral Committee's Economic Commission, Nguyen Van Tien, stated thatduring the past, high-tech agriculture had yet to create a breakthroughin restructuring the sector and increasing value-added agriculture.
"More investment and support policies in developing sciences and technologies for agriculture are required," he noted.
Foryears, investment in agriculture was not in line with the contributionagriculture made for gross domestic production (GDP).
In 2012alone, agriculture made up to 19.7 percent of GDP, but investment in thesector only accounted for five percent of the government's totalinvestment.
Tien stated that financial incentives were requiredto encourage research institutions and public and private sectors tojoin in the high-tech development of agriculture.
Director ofVietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry branch in southern Can Thocity, Vo Hung Dung, stated that Vietnamese agricultural products had lowadded value because for a long time, focus was on production stagerather than market study and consumption stage.
For example,when growing rice, Vietnam sold rice as the only output, but rice huskcould have been useful for many industries including energy.
"Nowis the time we must pay more attention on market study and then investtechnologies that help to provide products that meet consumers'demands," he noted.
Director General of Da Lat FlowerBiotechnology Joint Stocks Company, Nguyen Dinh Son, stated that thecompany hardly had access to middle-term loans, so it could not investand upgrade technology synchronously.
He added that now, the company could access short-term loans.
He recommended that State Bank should allow borrowers to mortgage with asset that was formed with the loans.
Accordingto him, the collateral should be the glasshouse, as it could encourageenterprises to build, supply and transfer greenhouse technique forfarming enterprises and households, he added.
Director of theState Bank of Vietnam's Credit Department, Nguyen Viet Manh, pointed outthat the bank and the ministries of agriculture and finance werestudying and have mapped out pilot policies to credit for high-techagriculture projects.
The pilot programme aimed to reduce inputcost by offering preferential loans, Manh noted, adding that thedisbursement will give priority to projects that farmers and enterpriseswere working together in applying high technologies.
State BankGovernor Nguyen Van Binh noted that agriculture was a prioritisedsector for crediting this year, in particular high-tech applications inagriculture. Till last year, credit for agriculture reached 672 trillionVND, nearly 20 percent higher than that of 2012.-VNA
