Leading agricultural economist from Vietnam highlights the ways their national government reformed the agricultural sector resulting in sustained growth and export production and expansion.
BENGALURU, India (4 April 2023) – At the core of the Vietnamese agricultural revolution are the reforms in agricultural policies from land access and enhancing the productivity and efficiency of farmers, said Dr. Cao Đức Phát, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. He is the current Chair of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Board of Trustees. IRRI is the leading international research institution focused on finding solutions to the challenges of rice-based economies worldwide.
Dr. Cao Đức Phát delivered a public lecture on Agricultural Development in Vietnam during the Fourth Annual Lecture of the Bengaluru-based Foundation for Agrarian Studies, organized in association with IRRI and St. Joseph’s University (SJU) on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 in SJU.
“The main way to increase income of farmers in agriculture is to improve productivity and efficiency. Yield increase has been the main factor of positive change in rice production in Vietnam in recent years,” said Dr. Cao Đức Phát during his lecture.
He mentioned that even in the present, the Vietnamese agricultural sector is facing challenges such as the threats of climate change impact like the rising sea level that would lead to the saltwater encroachment of farms along the coastal areas in the Mekong Delta, and severe flooding in other areas. He also mentioned the need to further improve productivity, efficiency, and farmers’ incomes to arrest the widening divide between rural and urban areas, and the environmental implications of modern agricultural practices.
However, Dr. Cao Đức Phát sees some positive light for Vietnam’s future as a developed nation. While the share of agriculture in Vietnam’s GDP would gradually decline in the future, it will remain an important source of employment and income. It will also serve an important role for attaining the country’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
He added that it is necessary to fine-tune the market mechanisms and consider the importance of modern technologies and innovations to help make agriculture sustainable for the future.
Leading agricultural economics researcher Professor Madhura Swaminathan from the Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Centre and a trustee of the Foundation for Agrarian Studies presided over the lecture. Prof. Swaminathan is also a Board Member of IRRI.Meanwhile, noted economists Professors Venkatesh Athreya and R. Ramakumar participated in the event and shared.
Reference: Pham, V. D., & Barkhatov. (2020). The policy on agricultural land and its impact on agricultural production and peasant’s life in Vietnam. E3S Web of Conferences, 175(06010). https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017506010