According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the risk of disruption in agricultural production and supply chains is significant.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien

To ensure production and export from now to the end of the year, two special working groups of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development still must maintain good connections and consumption of agricultural products. In which, the North boosted production to compensate for the South.

In the middle and end of July 2021, a Working Group to direct production, connect the supply and consumption of agricultural products in 19 southern provinces and cities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and another Working Group to direct production, connecting the supply and consumption of agricultural products in the northern provinces and cities were established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. What is the performance of these two Working Groups, Deputy Minister?

Right after 19 southern provinces and cities implemented social distancing in accordance with the Directive 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development established a Southern Working Group, led by Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam, directing the circulation, connection and consumption of agricultural products because this area has a very large production of rice, fruit and aquatic products in season.

Due to regulations on pandemic prevention and control, the circulation and transportation of agricultural products face difficulties, and human resources for harvesting agricultural products are in short supply. To solve the immediate difficulties, the Working Group has connected with enterprises, cooperatives and farms with more than 1,000 focal points to connect and consume agricultural products. So far, the problems in circulation have been basically solved. Industry chains have been impacted but not broken. In addition, the issue of circulation and transportation of inputs for agricultural production is also promoted.

With the Northern provinces, there is no situation of supply chain disruption, so the Northern Working Group focuses on coordinating with localities to promote production growth to ensure enough food reserves, as well as supply to southern provinces in case of shortage.

How has the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development been implementing solutions to maintain production and export momentum?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has determined that it is necessary to create favorable conditions for agro-forestry-fishery processing factories, livestock and poultry slaughterhouses, operation of fishing ports, fishing vessels, etc., as well as meeting the conditions of pandemic prevention and control, not disrupting the production and supply chain.

In order to stimulate production demand, encourage farmers to continue producing to ensure the plan and rice output, maintain food security and export, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also recommended the Government to implement the national rice purchasing and storage program to ensure food security.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has written requests to localities, ministries and branches to create conditions for enterprises to implement the "3 in one spot" production model; the State Bank creates favorable conditions for enterprises to borrow capital at preferential interest rates to purchase rice and agricultural products for farmers.

From now until the end of the year, the two Special Working Groups still have to maintain good connections and consumption of agricultural products; the North boosts production to compensate for the South.