Vietnam’s agriculture at a turning point – report

28 September, 2016 | Vietnam News
A farmer harvests dried sugarcane on her drought-stricken farm in Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (Photo: Reuters/ Kham/ File Photo)

The World Bank has released a new report finding Vietnam’s agriculture and overall food system are at a turning point.

The Vietnam Development Report 2016, titled “Transforming Vietnamese Agriculture: Gaining More from Less,” details the challenges and opportunities facing the country’s agriculture sector.

The report notes Vietnam’s agricultural sector has made enormous progress over the past quarter century. The country has emerged as one of the world’s leading exporters of agro-food commodities and is among the Top 5 in seafood, rice, coffee, tea, cashew nuts, black pepper, rubber, and cassava.

According to the report, Vietnam’s agriculture sector is experiencing a low quality of growth. It says the country needs to improve supply, quality, and food safety with added value, to remain competitive in the international market.

The report also said Vietnam’s economy will continue to run smoothly regardless of challenges caused by the decline of the agricultural sector in the first half of 2016.

 

– TiVi Tuan-san