New-style rural area building faces many challenges: Minister
Middle-income trap, climate change and international economic integration are posing great challenges to agriculture, farmers and rural areas in Vietnam, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at a conference held in Hanoi on October 5.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong speaks at the conference. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Middle-income trap, climate change and internationaleconomic integration are posing great challenges to agriculture, farmers andrural areas in Vietnam, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development NguyenXuan Cuong said at a conference held in Hanoi on October 5.
According to Cuong, each commune in the country has met an average 15.32criteria of new-style area and more than half of the communes nationwide (4,554communes) have been recognised as new-style rural areas as of October.
However, many problemsremain, he said, citing examples such as wide development gap between thelocalities, low rural income despite increases of 3.4-3.5 times from ten yearsago, and environmental pollution.
It is a must to identify challenges in building new-style rural area in thepast decade so as to shape up a more suitable plan in the coming time, hestressed.
At the event, Dang Kim Son from the Agricultural Market and InstitutionalResearch Centre pointed out that the country lacks a comprehensive strategy toconnect rural and urban areas, making it difficult to narrow down gap betweenrural and urban areas.
He suggested the establishment of an inclusive development model whichencourages the development of rural economy.
Meanwhile, another expert at the conference said at in the past ten years,agriculture still accounted for 50 percent of the rural jobs, while the rurallabour market is aging rapidly as rural residents tend to migrate to urbanareas for jobs. Therefore, it is important to have vocational training policiesfor rural workers, and setting up good coordination between vocational schoolsand employers is a good choice./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered thorough preparations for the organisation of the national conference concluding the implementation of the national target programme on new-style rural areas building in the 2010-2020 period.
The capital city of Hanoi recorded impressive socio-economic development results in the first nine months of this year, with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.35 percent, up from the 6.95 percent expansion recorded in the same period last year.
As of August this year, 90.7 percent of the 8,902 communes nationwide had completed targets set for rural power supply as part of the National Target Programme on New-Style Rural Area Building, according to insiders.
The ratio of rural communes with their own planning has risen from 23.1 percent in 2010 to 83.1 percent in 2013 and 99.7 percent today, according to Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh.
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The activities include a Vietnamese language teaching training course for overseas Vietnamese teachers from August 13 to 28 in Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Thai Nguyen.
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Whether they grow up to become journalists, diplomats, or professionals in other fields, these children can one day become bridges of friendship and cooperation, telling new and inspiring stories of Vietnam – China relations, said Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh.
A 21-year-old Indian tourist was successfully resuscitated and treated by doctors at Hoan My Da Nang Hospital after a near-drowning incident left him in critical condition. After three days of intensive care, the man was discharged from the hospital and has since returned to India.
In an document issued on August 5, the PM emphasised the need to stablise living conditions for people hit by floods, landslides, and flash floods in late July and early August in northern and north-central provinces, especially Dien Bien, Son La, and Nghe An which suffered some of the worst damage.
Although millions of Vietnamese were affected by AO, only over 626,000 individuals, including war veterans and their children suffering from dioxin-related conditions, are currently receiving state benefits.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong speaks at the conference. (Photo: VNA) 
