Agro-forestry-aquaculture surges by 2.8% - Agriculture

Updated

June, 30 2012 09:34:00

Agro-forestry-aquaculture surges by 2.8%

A farmer feeds pigs in An Phu Ward, Tam Ky City, Quang Ngai Province. The country's agriculture-forestry and aquaculture sector posted an increase in GDP growth rate of 2.8 per cent during the year's first six months. – VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue

HA NOI — Viet Nam's agriculture-forestry and aquaculture sector posted an increase GDP growth rate of 2.8 per cent during the year's first six months, despite adverse weather and threats of diseases to livestock and plants, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Planning said yesterday.

According to Trang Hieu Dung, head of the Ministry's Planning Department, the sector generated a production value of more than VND110,000 billion (US$5 billion), an increase of 3.7 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Dung said even though world prices had dropped for many agricultural products, exports values for products in the whole sector still managed to reach US$13.67 billion.

The outcome resulted from the implementation of many activities to promote trading, efforts to reduce trade barriers and Government moves to buy stocks of products.

However, according to Nguyen Tri Ngoc, head of the Planting and Cultivation Department, lack of funding and high interest rates had also troubled many businesses and investors.

The department forecast that the winter-spring rice crop will total more than 22.2 million tonnes for the northern provinces and 13 million tons for the south.

Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy head of the Livestock Department, said the livestock sub-sector was experiencing many troubles, including the continued threat of disease. This had led to price of pork dropping to VND35,000 per kilogram.

Son called on the Government to give more support to farmers and businesses to access loans at cheaper interest rates to maintain sources of breeders. He said if meat prices continued dropping, the Government should also support businesses to buy large stocks of meat in preparation for winter.

The department is working on a proposal to the ministry calling for a support package of VND5,000-6,000 billion for livestock farms.

Experts also called for efforts to stabilise the source of rice paddy land to more than 7 million hectares, and keeping the export target at 6.5-7 million tonnes.

They said more focus should also be placed on improving the quality of other high-added value products such as tra fish, rubber, shrimp. — VNS

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