Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has affirmed that the expansion of
the large-scale rice field model in the Mekong Delta region is on the
right track, contributing to strong growth in regional localities,
especially for farmers.
At a conference on rice and seafood production and consumption in the
Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on February 27, Hai asked
ministries and departments to offer incentives and frequently meet with
businesses to learn about their aspirations.
He
suggested rice, shrimp and tra fish farmers pay attention to the scale
of production and their prices for easier consumption/to increase
consumption.
During the 2012–2013 winter-spring
harvest, 13 regional cities and provinces registered to join the
large-scale field model with a total area of 71,000 hectares, up 40,000
hectares from last year’s summer-autumn crop.
The
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to establish a rice
raw materials area, export 1 million hectares of rice, and build a
trademark for Vietnamese rice.
According to the
Vietnam Food Association, trading firms bought 211,000 tonnes of rice for
stockpile as of February 26 in compliance with the Prime Minister’s
decision.
Last year, the region had over 595
hectares of shrimp farming, yielding more than 358,000 tonnes of
produce. The total aquaculture area for tra farming hit over 5,900
hectares as of the late 2012 with an output of over 1.2 million tonnes.
This year, the tra fish sector plans to clear obstacles to boost regional output for sustainable development.-VNA