Việt Nam is likely to supply 7.5 million tonnes of rice to the world this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam, once a food importer, can now guarantee food security under any conditions, stated Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến.

Having produced 43 million tonnes of unhusked rice, Việt Nam is set to provide the world with 7.5 million tonnes of rice this year, playing a significant role in ensuring global food security, the official said.

Amid the food shortages in many countries in the world and rising rice prices, the agricultural sector has directed localities in the Mekong Delta region to expand their rice farms in the autumn-winter crop, and start the 2023-24 winter-spring crop early to avoid salinity season in the region, he said.

The official stressed the significance role of the rice sector in ensuring national food security as well as farmers’ livelihoods.

In Conclusion No. 81-KL/TW dated July 29, 2020, the Politburo underlined the need to maintain a stable area of 3.5 million hectares of rice for at least 35 million tonnes of rice each year.

Meanwhile, the Government also issued a resolution on ensuring food security until 2030 with similar targets, as well as an export volume of about four million tonnes each year.

According to Tiến, along with rice, Việt Nam has also shown strong performance in foodstuff production with an annual output of 19 million tonnes of vegetables, 7.6 million tonnes of meat of all kinds, 18.5 billion eggs, 1.2 million tonnes of milk, and over nine million tonnes of aquatic products. This is also an important factor that enables Việt Nam to always guarantee food security in all circumstances, he stressed.

He noted that in the first nine months of this year, Việt Nam produced over 5.83 million tonnes of meat, up 6.14 per cent year on year.

Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan said that the agricultural sector is switching its focus from quantity to quality, and changing its mindset from agricultural production to agricultural economy to enhance its climate change response capacity and the ability of meeting market demands.

At the same time, the sector also aims to restructure its production, and the organisation of cooperatives and associations following value chain.

The Government has issued a National Action Plan to develop a transparent, responsible and sustainable food system by 2030 to fix the shortcomings and limitations of the agricultural sector, and at the same time create momentum for the growth of the sector and not compromise the environment and public health. — VNS