Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đỗ Đức Duy presents the report at the National Assembly on Wednesday. — Photo quochoi.vn

HÀ NỘI — The country's land use needs revision to bring in a consistency over national, regional and local plans in terms of timings.

It also needs to prioritise national defence, rice cultivation and forestation, deputies were told.

A report outlining proposed adjustments to the National Land Use Plan for the 2021-30 period was presented to the 15th National Assembly's 8th session on Wednesday.

In the report, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đỗ Đức Duy highlighted the need for the plan adjustments, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and global economic downturns as the main factors hindering the plan's progress.

Another reason for the adjustments is the inconsistencies between the plan and other national, regional and provincial plans. The time gap between the former's and the latter's approval has led to discrepancies in estimated land demand.

The third reason involves the increased public investment in key national infrastructure projects, which has resulted in a surge in land demand, exceeding the planned allocations.

According to the minister, the adjustments will centre around revising land allocations in eight land categories, covering agricultural lands, including rice fields and forests and non-agricultural lands, such as those designated for national defence.

Allocation priority will be given to national defence, rice cultivation, and forestation, with an aim to maintain food security and expand forest coverage.

The report suggests the Government prepare a revised National Land Use Plan for the 2021-30 period featuring the adjustments, which will be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration in 2025.

National Assembly's Economic Committee Chairman Vũ Hồng Thanh acknowledged the report's adherence to legal procedures but urged the Government to gather further input from ministries and agencies to refine it.

He also called for a more thorough investigation into the reasons behind the plan's slow progress and requested the Government propose measures to accelerate it.

A comprehensive and well-justified approach to preparing the report was also urged, which, he said, should be based on solid data, consider the needs of various stakeholders and align with national strategies for sustainable development.

The committee chairman also highlighted that the report can serve as a benchmark for evaluating the implementation of Resolution No.39, which regulates the plan and the National Land Use Plan for the 2021-25 period.

He revealed that several objectives in the Resolution had not been fully realised. A case in point is the underachievement of targets for agricultural land, which met only 2.65 per cent of the targets.

Moreover, certain objectives, such as those about national reserves and economic zones, remain unfulfilled. Disparities in target allocation and the implementation capabilities of local authorities have also been identified.

He thus emphasised the need for complete and accurate information to understand the true picture of land use across Việt Nam.

This includes a detailed analysis of why certain targets are underperforming and how policy and local capacity influence implementation.

Without this comprehensive understanding, any adjustments made to the plan risk being ineffective and failing to address the underlying challenges in land management. — VNS