HCM CITY — The southern province of Vĩnh Long and the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Farmers’ Union will organise the first ever Agricultural Inputs Festival in the province this month.

To take place from March 23 to 29 in Vĩnh Long City, it will feature an agricultural-industrial and trade fair, orchid, bonsai and red-whiskered bulbul singing competitions, among other activities, Phạm Minh Hùng of the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Farmers’ Union, said.

Speaking at a press briefing in HCM City on Friday, Nguyễn Thanh Sơn, a member of the festival organisation board, said farmers and craft villages would have a chance to promote their products while enterprises can introduce their agricultural machinery and equipment, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, and other agricultural inputs.

Seminars on creating livelihoods for farmers amid climate change and on sharing the benefits of agricultural input producers and distributors with farmers would be held on the sidelines of the festival, he said.

More than 800 localities, establishments and businesses have so far registered to participate, with 200 businesses involved in the field of agricultural inputs, Hùng said.

According to Phạm Tứ Phương, director of the Vĩnh Long Department of Industry and Trade, the festival seeks to promote the goods and services of each locality and create opportunities for enterprises and farmers in provinces and cities to exchange experiences, introduce products and services and update technologies to improve their product quality and expand their market.

The festival is among activities related to an investment promotion conference the province would hold on March 26-27, he said.

At the conference, the province would solicit investment of VNĐ27.56 trillion (US$1.2 billion) in 67 projects in various sectors, he added. — VNS