Co-operatives key to agricultural sector
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| A farmer tends to his ducks on his farm in the southern province of An Giang. Individual farms are being encouraged to join farming co-operatives. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue |
HA NOI — Getting single farming households to join farming co-operatives was the key to restructuring the nation's farming sector, a conference heard last Thursday.
Deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Livestock Breeding Department Nguyen Thanh Son said that farming co-operatives were proven to help farmers better control epidemics and increase profits.
The numbers of co-operatives soared over 50 per cent from 2001-08 and increased 13.2 per cent between 2009-10.
Nearly half of the country's cities and provinces have approved farming co-operative development.
Through this development, the ministry targeted to increase the number of pigs by 35 per and the number of chickens by 30 per cent by 2020, Son said.
However, agricultural officials said they had experienced difficulties in trying to implement the model. Access to investment capital remained limited and loose co-operation between farming co-operatives and manufacturing and processing services was proving a stumbling block.
Nguyen Van Chien, Chairman of Co Dong Farming Co-operative in Ha Noi's Son Tay Township, said more than 400 farms in the co-operative were scattered across the township, and farmers refused to invest in a comprehensive waste treatment system because they might be required to move at any time.
This was having a negative impact on the environment, he said, adding that farmers were suffering from a lack of support policies.
In response to this, Son said the ministry would ask localities to draw up specific plans to develop farming co-operatives to encourage farmers to invest more in the model. — VNS