Hanoi (VNA) – Japan’s experience in developing agriculture, ruralareas, and farmers’ living conditions was shared at a workshop in Hanoi onSeptember 6.

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Farmers’ Union,Japan’s Institute for East Asian Studies, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry, and Fisheries, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, and the JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hueaffirmed that agriculture, farmers, and rural areas play an important role inthe country’s industrialisation and modernisation, as well as in boostingeconomic growth in a fast and sustainable manner.

As such, the Vietnamese Party and State have worked out a rangeof important policies to comprehensively develop agriculture and rural areas aswell as gradually improve farmers’ material and spiritual lives. The Governmenthas put together directions related to building new-style rural areas at thehamlet level in disadvantaged areas, as well as implemented policies to encouragethe establishment of cooperatives and their unions in farm produce productionand consumption, he stated.

According to the Deputy PM, despite severe naturalconditions, Japan has risen to become the world’s third largest economy withmodern agriculture, strongly developed urban and rural areas, and farmers’lives ensured. At present, about 3 percent of the Japanese population areworking in the agricultural sector, yet food production is enough to serve boththe local population of 127 million and also generate excess for exports.

President of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union Thao Xuan Sung saidthat while the nation previously used to import much of its food forconsumption, Vietnam has risen to become one of the world’s leading exportersof agricultural products, with the export value hitting a record of 36.37billion USD last year.

Ideas and recommendations made at the workshop will help theVietnamese Party and State better their policies on agricultural and ruraldevelopment for times ahead, he added.

Sharing his experience in agricultural policy in Japan, SeniorAdvisor on Agricultural Development Police at JICA Kimura Yoshihisa said thatthe Japanese agricultural sector has succeeded in expanding its husbandrysector and fruit and vegetable planting, as well as given priority tolarge-scale rice cultivation.

He also shared measures to improve productivity throughdeveloping large-scale rice fields.

Participating agricultural experts suggested that Vietnamconsider sustainable agricultural growth an important key in its developmentstrategy.

They also stressed the need to boostagricultural business through public-private partnership and step up humanresources training. –VNA