Seminar focuses on diversification of agricultural products

Hanoi (VNA) - Diversifying agricultural products in the supply chain was one of the major topics discussed at a seminar on transforming the structure and role of agriculture in Hanoi on February 16.

Farmers must diversify their products and maintain a connection to the market, said
Prof. Peter Timmer, Senior Fellow at the US-based Stanford University's Centre for
Global Development.

He also stressed intensive farming, production expansion and increasing labour
productivity, saying that strong agricultural development cannot be achieved with
an average of less than 1 hectare of land for each farmers household.

Timmer emphasised the State's role in regulating the transforming of product
structure. He said the Government should keep a good contact with farmers through
market information provision, agricultural promotion activities as well as
advantageous investment policies.

The US expert expected that in the next 30 years, Vietnam and Thailand will
still be the world's leading rice exporters. However, Vietnam should seek a
suitable production model as well as policies in order to ensure sufficient rice for
both domestic consumption and exports.

Participants at the seminar, held by the Institute for Strategy and Policy of
Agricultural Development (ISPAD), also discussed Vietnam 's shortcomings in
market forecasting and renovating distribution system.-Enditem

However, ISPAD Director Dang Kim Son expressed his hope that with the strengthening
of human resources in this field, Vietnam will be the master of market
forecasting in the next 5-7 years.-Enditem