The call was made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) at a workshop held in Hanoi on September 16 to consult with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other international organisations.
According to Tang Minh Loc, Vice Head of MARD’s Department for Cooperative and Rural Development, the programme aims to develop socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas, combine agricultural with industrial, services and urban development, and improve people’s living conditions.
Mr Loc said the ministry is drafting 11 projects on rural development, particularly on poverty reduction, educational training, and health care.
MARD Deputy Minister Ho Xuan Hung said the programme will first prioritise 797 communes in poor districts under a governmental resolution. He said the programme will have a hefty price tag so Vietnam expects to receive assistance from international organisations to set up a fund for rural development.
Representatives from the World Bank, IFAD and the Irish Embassy shared their concerns about capital disbursement in Vietnam’s programmes and projects, particularly those on rural infrastructure.
Vietnam aims to have at least 20 percent out of nearly 10,000 communes nationwide reach the new rural model’s standards, to raise farmers’ incomes by 50 percent, and reduce the rate of poor households to below 8 percent by 2015.
By 2020, half of the communes will meet the standards, farmers’ incomes will be doubled and the number of poor households will be kept under 3 percent.