Cần Thơ City is focusing on improving its rural areas and carrying out the ‘One Commune One Product’ project. — VNA/VNS Photo

CẦN THƠ — Mekong Delta Cần Thơ City has unveiled a programme to achieve the national targets for rural development and carry out the ‘One Commune One Product’ project to develop each region's forte.

Lê Văn Tính, deputy chief of the city’s co-ordinating office for new-style rural development, said at the launch on Friday that this year the city targets having at least two communes achieve new-style rural area criteria pertaining to infrastructure, incomes, healthcare, and the environment.

He was referring to criteria set under a national programme called ‘National Targets for new-style rural area development Programme’.

The city also targets having all its districts achieve the criteria.

It will organise training classes to apprise district and commune staff about the programme and encourage the public to take part in it too.

It will focus more on concentrated production models and encourage co-operation between farmers, businesses, scientists, and the Government.

Policies will be made to attract investment in rural areas and create large numbers of jobs.
Speaking about the One Commune One Product project, Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, director of the city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said this year the city would help 200 existing businesses, co-operatives and co-operative groups related to rural products and services improve and set up 60 new ones that will participate in the project.

Businesses that join the project will receive management training.

City officials will register product ideas for the project and pick the best ones to be commercialised.

The project will then rate and categorise the products into three levels -- district, province and national – and help them with trade facilitation.
Nguyễn Thanh Dũng, deputy chairman of the city's People's Committee, said agriculture and rural areas still face challenges, explaining while criteria for new rural development related to health insurance, incomes and the environment are met, sustainability is lacking and agricultural prices are not steady.
He called on local authorities to encourage and facilitate models such as co-operatives and co-operative groups and help link producers and consumers to ensure sustainable development. — VNS