Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged the agriculturesector to switch from the mindset of agricultural production to an agriculturaleconomy and international integration in order to create a revolution in thedevelopment of agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

Speakingat a national teleconference reviewing the ten-year implementation of Resolution 26-NQ/TW on agriculture,farmers and rural areas adopted at the seventh plenum of the 10th Party CentralCommittee in Hanoi on November 27, PM Phuc underlined the need to identifyopportunities, challenges and limitations to roll out strategic orientationsfor the sector, thus spurring its development, especially in the context of thefourth Industrial Revolution.

Thesettlement of issues regarding agriculture, farmers and rural areas is a commontask of the entire political system, he said, asking ministries, agencies andlocalities to take solutions to deal with small-scale production and meet newrequirements of agricultural and rural development.

ThePM pointed out a list of tasks for ministries, agencies and localities, such asnatural disaster prevention and control, adaptation to climate change, cleanagricultural production, improving mechanisms, policies and laws and removingdifficulties facing investors and businesses.

Agriculturalproduction should go in tandem with market development and capital supply, hesaid, requesting ministries and agencies to pay more attention to the exportmarkets, and the banking system to set forth necessary mechanisms to serveagriculture, farmers and rural areas.

Thecomprehensive, sustainable building of new-style rural areas should beconnected closely with urbanisation, environmental protection and preservationof traditional culture, the PM noted.

Resolution 26-NQ/TW, the first of its kind issuedby the Party, has given a facelift to the agriculture sector and rural areas,with role and living standards of farmers improved significantly, he said.

PM Phuc asked the steering committee for thereview of the implementation of the resolution to collect opinions throughthematic workshops to report to the Politburo for the issuance of anotherresolution in the sphere.

According to a report presented by Cao Duc Phat,deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, aquacultureproduction and animal husbandry accounted for 26.2 percent and 27.2 percent ofthe agriculture sector’s total value in 2017.

Export staples such as rice, rubber, coffee,cashew nuts, shrimp, fish and fruits have gained firm foothold in foreignmarkets, contributing to a 2.66 percent growth in the agricultural sector’sgross domestic product (GDP) last year.

Up to 3,069 communes nationwide have beenrecognised as new rural areas, and 7.2 million rural labourers have receivedvocational training, the report said.

The report, however, pointed out limitations inthe sphere such as unstable and asynchronous development of the rural economy,poor infrastructure, high poverty rate and environmental pollution.-VNA