Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc has requested ministries, localities and businesses strengthencooperation to develop agricultural mechanisation and processing ofagricultural products.

Speaking at a teleconference with ministries,sectors and localities on promoting the development of the agricultural productprocessing industry and mechanisation in Hanoi on February 21, the PM said Vietnamhas not yet focused on developing those fields.

Vietnam aims to rank among the world’s top 15most developed agricultural countries and become a global hub for agriculturallogistics and processing.

Meanwhile, at present, agriculture has used alarge labour force, mainly unskilled labour and has a low level ofmechanisation, leading to low productivity.

Therefore, the State will develop policies toremove difficulties and promote the development of those fields, he said.

The Prime Minister urged the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development to submit to him a strategy on developingmechanisation and processing in the agricultural sector by 2030.

This ministry must also submit to the PM plans ondeveloping the processing industry for vegetables, fruits, seafood, timber andwood products. Those plans will help Vietnam become one of the five leadingproducers of those products globally, he said.

Meanwhile, the Government will amend existingdecrees to promote mechanisation in agriculture.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade must alsoimplement a strategy to develop Vietnam's mechanical engineering industry,including tractors and machines for cultivation, preservation and processing ofagricultural, forestry and fishery products.

The Prime Minister also asked credit institutionsto have more funding sources for rural and agricultural development, especiallyfor enterprises and projects in the fields of agricultural mechanisation andfarming, forestry and fishery product processing.

PM Phuc said localities must find measures todevelop organic agriculture using high technology.

At the conference, Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said Vietnam must enhance agriculturalproduct processing and agricultural mechanisation to increase added value andcompetitiveness of farming products.

The application of science and technology foragricultural production and quality management will ensure control of quality,food safety and traceability for farming products, Cuong said.

The quality of human resources for theagricultural product processing industry and agricultural mechanisation shouldbe improved, he said.

According to the minister, the sector also needsto focus on developing clusters for production and processing of agriculturalproducts in localities, especially regions with large agricultural output.

At present, the rate of mechanisation has reached94 percent in the stage of preparing land for production, 42 percent in thesowing and planting stage, 77 percent in the stage of breeding animals andplanting trees and 65 per cent in the harvest stage.

Many localities have formed and developedagricultural production and processing chains. Now, Vietnam has about 7,500enterprises of processing agricultural products with medium- and large-scales./.