Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is currently a major producer of agriculturalproducts, an achievement greatly attributable to science and technology,according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

TheMARD said agro-forestry-fishery products of Vietnam have been exported to 200countries and territories, including demanding markets like the US, the EU, andJapan.

Amongthem, the EU is a potential buyer of many key farm produce, and opportunitieshave become even bigger since the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) wassigned.

Morethan 10 groups of commodities have posted over 1 billion USD in annual exportrevenue, including fruits and vegetables, rice, coffee, cashew nut, peppercorn,and wood products, statistics show.

TheMARD attributed such achievements to science and technology, which havecontributed to over 35% of the country’s agricultural production.

During2020 - 2023, Vietnamese scientists have created 148 crop varieties and 36technical advances recognised by the MARD, helping increase productivity and qualityto serve domestic consumption and export.

Inparticular, the effective application of science and technology to cropcultivation has helped step up crop restructuring, improve varieties, and preventpests and diseases, thereby raising the productivity and quality of many plantssuch as orange, tangerine, and pomelo. The expanding use of high-quality ricevarieties has also gradually promoted the value of the Vietnamese rice brand inthe international market.

TheCong Thuong (Industry & Trade) newspaper cited Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tienas saying that thanks to science and technology application, Vietnam hasrecorded higher productivity in the farming of some animals and crops comparedto other countries in the region and the world. For example, it currently ranksfirst among ASEAN members in the productivity of unmilled rice, second in theworld in coffee, and first globally in peppercorn.

Meanwhile,Nguyen Huu Minh, Deputy Director of the MARD’s Science, Technology andEnvironment Department, held that science and technology application toagriculture has proved fruitful, but remains small and fragmented.

Theprivate sector’s engagement in scientific research and development is stilllimited while the quantity and quality of human resources in this field remainmodest. Research units also lack connectivity with businesses, he pointed out.

TranThi Lan Anh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry(VCCI), said the country’s agro-forestry-fishery exports have been growingcontinually, making substantial contributions to total overseas shipments andnational economic development.

However,she noted, if the reform of processing technology is slow, it will be hard foragricultural products to increase export value and expand markets.

Tostrengthen the agricultural sector’s export capacity, it is necessary to takecomprehensive measures to boost development under value chains and especially,assist agricultural companies to apply science - technology, carry outinnovation, and digitalise production and processing to meet quality standards,according to Anh./.