The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) held the sixth National Farmers’ Forum themed “Farmers with Agricultural Digital Transformation”.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) held the sixth National Farmers’ Forum themed “Farmers with Agricultural Digital Transformation”.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said the country now has 4.1 million ha for agricultural production. Each year, Vietnam earns over 40 billion USD from exports of agro-forestry-fisheries to 180 countries and territories, including 10 key major currency earners such as rice, shrimp, tra fish, rubber, pepper, cashew nut, coffee, cassava and wooden furniture. Such data need to be digitalised to serve production and value chains.

Chairman of the VFU Central Committee Luong Quoc Doan said digital transformation has become a compulsory requirement for each country, sector and individual amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a backbone of the national economy, digital transformation in agriculture will be one of the crucial factors to help farmers, farms, cooperatives and businesses improve their productivity and quality, optimise production, cut costs and increase profits, contributing to the success of national digital transformation.

Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang provincial People’s Committee Phan The Tuan said over 8,000 tonnes of lychees have reached the hands of consumers at home and abroad via e-commerce sites.

The province also encouraged businesses and cooperatives to open stalls on domestic e-commerce sites and successfully held teleconferences with 30 locations at home and abroad to promote lychee consumption, he said.

Director of CropLife Asia Dr.Tan Siang Hee said Vietnam has taken initial steps in agriculture digitalisation.

According to a survey of over 130 rice, fruit, coffee and vegetable farmers, 42 percent of them wish to switch to digital agriculture. Meanwhile, 89 percent of the Vietnamese are using mobile phones and 68 percent of them are smart phone users, presenting a great chance for farmers to apply advanced agriculture technologies./.