Activate 'software' values in new rural construction

On the morning of July 27th, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan delivered a speech explaining and clarifying a number of issues raised by National Assembly delegates at the discussion session on investment policy in the National Target Program on new rural construction in the 2021 - 2025 period.

'Make the countryside a place worth searching for, and a place for us to return'

As shared by Minister Le Minh Hoan: "The 156 comments in group discussion and 16 comments in the conference hall today give me great pressure while directing the coordination for a Program that covers a very large area in all 63 provinces and cities. Even more, the pressure on the "Commander" of the agricultural sector is even greater, because the ultimate goal of the Program is on how to make “the countryside become a place worth living, a place worth searching for and a place for us to return".

Minister Le Minh Hoan shared touching images of the Covid-19’s recent days - hundreds, even millions of people returning to the countryside from cities to avoid the epidemic - were the emotions and motivations that drive us to realize the goals of rural development in the coming period.

According to the head of the MARD, the results of the National Target Program on new rural construction for the 2016-2020 period were summed up in three words: "Grand, complete and historical" and need not be said again. But the disadvantages still require discussion.

Firstly, it is the overlap of 3 National Target Programs that the National Assembly delegates are very interested in. Specifically, Mr. Le Minh Hoan emphasized: “The new rural program must cover all 63 provinces and cities and leave out no one. If there is overlap, it is the integration of values to create great resources for socio-economic development in difficult areas”.

As for the capital structure to support the New Rural Construction Program, most of the National Assembly delegates wanted the central structure to have more part, while less on the local structure, especially in the context that the localities have to concentrate resources to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic, which is really hard. 

We haven't taken "software" development seriously

Regarding the opinions of delegates about the need to build new rural areas in a sustainable way, Minister Le Minh Hoan affirmed: "The story of sustainable development is related to people's income and livelihood".

He realized that the very name of the Program is "new rural construction", which makes local authorities and grassroots levels more inclined to invest in infrastructure construction (bridges, roads, headquarters, stations, schools, etc.) because “construction” is related to buildings.

"What we lack of attention is how to form conditions to improve people's income and living standards through that livelihood," said Minister Le Minh Hoan.

Therefore, the Government has identified the New Rural Construction Program’s new values in the coming period, which is, along with continuing to develop infrastructure so that rural citizens have conditions to access urban utilities, "software" development must be focused on more.

The President of the National Assembly concluded that the restructuring of the agricultural sector should be linked with the construction of new rural areas. Because "new rural construction is fundamental, agricultural restructuring is the foundation, farmers are the subject". Those three pillars are inseparable.

Facilitate access to the light of knowledge

In the opinion of the "Commander" of the agricultural sector, along with creating the “core" (investing in infrastructure construction) for the rural citizen to access urban utilities, it is necessary to preserve and promote the "soul" that has formed living space and production space for thousands of years. It must be considered as a resource, an asset for rural development.

Furthermore, it is essential to improve the community's ability to make farmers the subjects in rural socio-economic development. To be capable, farmers must have access to the light of knowledge, access to new things, cooperate with each other, and be the master of their own destiny.

Minister Le Minh Hoan also noted that learning from previous years' experience, we need to confirm that it is the leaders of communes and local authorities the decisive force for the success of the New Rural Construction Program.