Source: Vietnam News Agency

This year, Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to carry out 12 scientific research and pilot production projects on applying technology in such areas as crops and forest trees, animals, micro organisms, protection and processing.

The Key Programme on Development and Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Rural Development Through 2020, recently approved by the Government, aims to increase the rate of agricultural biotechnology's contribution to the growth of agricultural value by 2020. The programme is also expected to help Viet Nam join the leading group of ASEAN countries in terms of agricultural biotechnology development.

Under the programme, the ministry will gradually improve the training of human resources; build technical infrastructure; boost international cooperation; receive and effectively implement a number of advanced biotechnologies; promote the implementation of research and production projects, with the aims of encouraging technology transfer, forming a favourable market, and strongly promoting the formation and development of the biological industry in agriculture.

By 2020, it is planned that the acreage of new-variety crops created with biotechnology will represent more than 70 percent of  the nation's total crop area; more than 70 percent of the demand for disease-resistant plant varieties will be met by the biotechnological industry; and more than 80 percent of the area under vegetable and fruit cultivation will use fertilisers and plant protection products produced by biotechnology. Biotechnological industry in agriculture will also meet the demand for vaccines from the livestock breeding sector.