General Secretary: Agriculture and Environment remain pillars of national sustainable development

On the morning of 12 November, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held the Ceremony celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Agriculture and Environment sector and the 1st Patriotic Emulation Congress. General Secretary To Lam attended and delivered a directive speech at the Ceremony. VAN News respectfully publishes the full text of the General Secretary’s speech.

Distinguished leaders and former leaders of the Party, the State and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front;

Distinguished delegates, honoured guests and international friends;

Dear all cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers of the Agriculture and Environment sector.

Today, in the vibrant emulation atmosphere of the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army striving to successfully fulfil the goals and tasks of the 13th National Party Congress term and to prepare thoroughly for the 14th National Party Congress, I am very pleased to join the incumbent and former leaders of the Party, the State and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front in attending the Ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of Viet Nam’s Agriculture and Environment sector and the 1st Patriotic Emulation Congress of the sector.

This is not only an occasion for us to recall a glorious tradition and express gratitude to generations of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers, but also a moment for the entire sector to reflect upon itself, to kindle pride, to consolidate and spread confidence, will and aspiration to rise; and to proactively enter a new stage of development with a spirit of renewal, creativity and the highest sense of responsibility before the Party, the State and the People.

The Agriculture and Environment sector holds a particularly strategic position, closely associated with land, rivers, mountains and forests, rural villages, urban areas, seas and islands, and with the lives of more than one hundred million Vietnamese people. This is the sector managing vital national resources such as land, water, air, forests, minerals, biodiversity and the ecological environment. Every inch of land, every river, every forest, every sea area is not only a space for survival and livelihood development, but also a constituent element of national sovereignty.

Therefore, developing agriculture and protecting natural resources and the environment is not only an economic task, but also a political, cultural, social, and defence-security task.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I extend to the leaders and former leaders of the sector through different periods, to generations of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers of the Agriculture and Environment sector, and to intellectuals, entrepreneurs and farmers nationwide my warm regards, profound gratitude and best congratulations.

Dear all,

Throughout 80 years of construction, struggle and growth, the Agriculture and Environment sector has always stood side by side with the history of the nation.

Right after the country gained independence, in the challenging context of 1945, President Ho Chi Minh launched the movement “Increase production, practice thrift”, affirming that agriculture is the front line.

Throughout the two protracted resistance wars, Vietnamese farmers “held the plough in one hand and the gun in the other”, both producing and fighting, ensuring food for the front and rear with the slogan “five tonnes of rice to contribute to the fight against the US”, making an important contribution to national liberation and reunification.

Entering the Doi moi period, with Contract 10 and renewed thinking on the role of farmers, Viet Nam’s agricultural production transformed strongly. From a country suffering chronic food shortages, Viet Nam became one of the world’s leading exporters of agricultural commodities such as rice, coffee and pepper, making an important contribution to trade surplus, generating large foreign currency revenues and stabilizing the macro-economy.

With more than 60% of the population living in rural areas, the face of rural Viet Nam changed vigorously during urbanization, especially through the National Target Programme on New Rural Development and Sustainable Poverty Reduction. Infrastructure systems: roads, electricity, schools, health stations were increasingly synchronously completed. The legal system on land, water resources, minerals and environment was gradually formed and improved.

The merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to form the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reflects a new development mindset: integrated resource management and agricultural development in a unified and organically linked manner.

Surveying and mapping, geological investigation, forest, sea and biodiversity management achieved major progress. Environmental protection shifted from passive treatment to proactive prevention and control. Viet Nam made strong commitments and actions towards net-zero emissions by 2050, demonstrating our responsibility to the international community and future generations. Green economy, circular economy and renewable energy are becoming dominant trends in the national development strategy.

It can be affirmed that over the past 80 years, the Agriculture and Environment sector has always stood side by side with the nation, serving as a pillar of the economy, the foundation of livelihoods, and an important factor in building an exemplary national development model in the new era. These great achievements are the crystallization of the intelligence, efforts, and dedication of generations of cadres, civil servants, workers, farmers, intellectuals, and Vietnamese enterprises, along with the attention and wise leadership of the Party and the State.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I warmly commend the achievements that the entire contingent of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers of the Agriculture and Environment sector have attained through patriotic emulation movements in the 2020-2025 period, as well as throughout the 80 years of construction, growth and development of the sector.

I congratulate the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for being awarded the First-Class Labour Order by the Party and the State. I also congratulate the exemplary collectives and individuals of the Agriculture and Environment sector honoured at today’s solemn ceremony.

Dear all,

Alongside the very proud results, we must also look squarely at reality: the Agriculture and Environment sector is currently facing many significant difficulties and challenges, especially the intertwined contradictions between economic development, resource management and environmental protection.

First, natural resources are declining rapidly, and environmental carrying capacity in many areas has reached the limit. Land and soils, special means of national production, is still being used wastefully, fragmented, and lacking overall planning; minerals continue to suffer losses and are exploited unsustainably; and water resources are declining in both quantity and quality.

Many rivers and groundwater sources are being polluted and depleted; biodiversity continues to decline; and environmental pollution, especially air pollution, water pollution and solid waste in urban areas, industrial zones and craft villages, remains complex, seriously affecting the health and life of the people and the sustainable development of the nation.

Second, the impacts of climate change and extreme natural disasters are increasingly severe, causing great damage to life and property, especially in delta, coastal and mountainous regions. Drought, saltwater intrusion, storms, floods and landslides occur with increasing frequency and intensity, are difficult to forecast, and pose direct threats to national food security and ecological security.

Third, our agriculture has not truly developed sustainably; added value remains low; farmers’ living standards remain difficult; and the gap between rural and urban areas remains large. Production is still small-scale and fragmented; processing industries and supporting services, logistics develop slowly; and linkages between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers are not close. Infrastructure, public services and social welfare in rural areas remain unsynchronized; cultural life in some rural areas is still limited, with signs of “leaving agriculture, leaving the homeland” and a shortage of succeeding generations.

Fourth, institutions and management capacity still have many shortcomings. The legal system on land, resources, and environment remains overlapping and inconsistent; law enforcement in many places is not strict, still allowing wastefulness, negativity, and group interests in planning, management, and exploitation of resources.

Digitization of resource and agricultural data is still slow and unsynchronized; agricultural extension and public services have not reached the grassroots level; science and technology and innovation have not truly become the main drivers of development. Decentralization and delegation of powers are still not linked with resource allocation and implementation responsibilities.

These institutional limitations, along with constraints related to resources, environment and climate change, combined with internal shortcomings of agriculture and rural areas, are becoming major bottlenecks hindering the goal of rapid and sustainable development. This is not only an economic or technical issue, but also a political, social, security and development-ethics issue, requiring strategic vision and stronger, more decisive actions in the new period.

Dear all,

In the face of the tasks of national construction and defence, when opportunities and challenges are intertwined, the Agriculture and Environment sector needs to continue renewing itself, acting more decisively and effectively, making worthy contributions to the success of the 14th National Party Congress, and contributing to building a prosperous and sustainable developing country.

I want to emphasize several key orientations and tasks as follows:

First, continue to improve institutions, policies and strategic foundations in the new period. Improve the quality of practical review and fully institutionalize the Party’s guidelines on “agriculture, farmers and rural areas”, on resource management, environmental protection and climate change response into the legal system.

Continue completing synchronously and feasibly the laws on land, water resources, minerals and environmental protection, ensuring consistency and harmonization of the interests of the State, the people and enterprises. Land must continue to be defined as a special asset of the nation, owned by the entire people and uniformly managed by the State; its use must be for the right purposes, effective, open and transparent.

It is necessary to establish a mechanism for strict and transparent control of power in planning, land allocation, land lease, land-use conversion and resource exploitation to prevent loss, corruption and group interests.

Second, strongly promote the development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, considering them the central drivers of development. Effectively implement Resolution No. 57 on the development of science-technology, innovation, and national digital transformation in the fields of agriculture and environment. Build synchronized data systems on land, water resources, forests, hydrometeorology, and biodiversity; develop sectoral digital maps and a unified national land database.

Bring science and technology to the centre of agricultural production, from plant and animal varieties, biotechnology, automation, to traceability and digital commerce. Encourage linkage models between scientists, enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers, connecting added value with production bases, not stopping at slogans or movements.

Third, plan, manage and use resources effectively. Protect the living environment; regard resources as national assets to be tightly managed, rationally allocated, economically and efficiently used, and sustainably developed. Water resources are vital for food security, ecological security and national security and must be strictly managed and equitably regulated. Restore ecosystems of rivers, lakes and groundwater; control pollution; proactively adapt to climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta, North Central Region, Central Highlands and coastal areas.

Upgrade irrigation systems, dykes and reservoirs; apply technology in forecasting and preventing landslides, drought and salinity; restore protective forests and headwater forests; conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems, linking conservation with sustainable development, enabling nature to accompany and support development. Thoroughly address environmental “hotspots” in large urban centres, industrial zones, craft villages and rivers; prevent new sources of pollution; and improve the quality of the living environment for the people.

Fourth, unlock resources; vigorously reform administrative procedures; promote the strength of the people and enterprises; remove bottlenecks and complex, overlapping procedures in land, resource and environmental management; and remove difficulties in capital, land and technology for farmers and enterprises.

Promote decentralization and delegation of powers linked with resource allocation and control; mobilize social resources, enterprises, cooperatives, and the private sector to invest in green agriculture, processing agriculture, renewable energy, and circular economy. Transform resource endowments, especially land, forests, seas and water, into material, infrastructure and financial values for national development.

Fifth, restructure the agricultural sector toward improving added value and sustainable development. Agriculture must shift from extensive to intensive development, from increasing output to improving productivity, quality and efficiency; strengthen brand building; strongly develop ecological agriculture, organic agriculture, circular agriculture and high-tech agriculture; link production with deep processing and national brand building; expand markets and participate more deeply in global agricultural value chains. Develop a new-style rural ecosystem: synchronous infrastructure, rich cultural life, clean environment, ensured security and order, and civilized and modern rural areas.

Sixth, build a streamlined, effective and efficient organizational apparatus and a contingent of cadres dedicated, intelligent and close to the people. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment needs to complete its organizational structure quickly, ensure smooth operation and improve management efficiency; build a contingent of cadres and civil servants who are upright, professional, dedicated, impartial and responsible to the people.

Strengthen training and capacity-building for cadres and experts in agriculture, resources, environment and climate. Pay particular attention to grassroots cadres and the agricultural extension force, who are not only communicators but also the “extended arms” of science and policy to every field and farming household.

Dear all,

80 years is a glorious journey; although the responsibilities ahead are even greater, I believe that the Agriculture and Environment sector will continue to promote its glorious tradition, strongly renew its thinking, act decisively and effectively; dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility; unite and make the utmost effort to contribute commensurately to the common success of the country.

I call on all cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers of the sector, scientists, enterprises, cooperatives and farmers across the country to continue to unite and be even more creative, to successfully accomplish the set goals; to successfully build the model of “ecological agriculture, modern rural areas, civilized farmers”. Manage, exploit and use natural resources effectively; protect the ecological environment; preserve every river, every inch of land, every forest, every mountain and every sacred sea area of the Fatherland.

Build a rich and beautiful country; improve the material and spiritual life of the people; and make ever greater contributions to the rapid and sustainable development of the nation.

I wish all comrades good health, happiness and success!