Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien: Urgently restore production, ensure enough food at the end of the year

Storm No. 3 and the floods after the storm damaged and swept away over 3,700 aquaculture cages; over 26,000 livestock and over 2.9 million poultry died. This is also a major loss in food supply for the end of the year. In this situation, we had a discussion with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien about the early restoration of production in livestock and aquaculture to ensure food supply before, during and after Tet.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien. Photo: Danh Lam/VNA

How does the Deputy Minister assess the damage caused by storm No. 3 and the floods after the storm in the North recently? What is the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in restoring production?

Storm No. 3 and the floods following the storm have caused great damage and impacts on agricultural production, especially livestock and aquaculture. These are also the two sectors with the highest growth in the agricultural sector. Initial preliminary calculations show that aquaculture suffered about VND2,500 billion in damage, while livestock also suffered about VND2,000 billion. In the agricultural sector as a whole, the Ministry of Planning and Investment estimates that the decline in agriculture will be about 0.33%.

With the experience of responding to storms and floods in the Central region at the end of 2020 and the African swine fever that occurred, to quickly restore production, if support is provided according to Decree No. 02/2017/ND-CP of the Government on mechanisms and policies to support agricultural production to restore production in areas damaged by natural disasters and epidemics, it will not be suitable for the practical situation. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposes that the Government issue a specialized resolution on supporting production recovery after storm No. 3. This is a very important document to achieve the goal of restoring agricultural production.

What does the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development propose to the Government in debt forgiveness, debt extension or insurance benefits for livestock and aquaculture farm owners?

Investment in livestock and aquaculture is huge. With large scale, modern livestock and aquaculture methods, especially marine aquaculture, many households have had to borrow huge amounts of capital. In the recent damage, some households lost tens of billions to hundreds of billions of VND. To support people to recover production soon, as I have shared, there will be a Government resolution on this topic.

Regarding implementation, the Minister will assign Deputy Ministers in charge of the field to meet with localities, businesses and industry associations to support solutions on techniques, breeds, production materials, food, medicine, etc.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed that the Government postpone and extend debt repayments and provide certain support for businesses, cooperatives, and households, and especially continue to address insurance and reinsurance issues to develop aquaculture, livestock farming, and other sectors in a more sustainable manner.

People in Quynh Hai Commune, Quynh Phu District are urgently restoring production after the storm. This is the largest vegetable growing area in Thai Binh Province. Photo: The Duyet/VNA

Immediately after the conference chaired by the Prime Minister on September 15, on the afternoon of September 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a meeting to implement the Prime Minister's instructions. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will issue a document recommending the Government and the State Bank to direct commercial banks, based on confirmation from localities, to postpone, extend debt repayment, freeze debt, reduce interest rates, and even provide support to quickly restore livestock and aquaculture production in the shortest time.

How will the damage that has occurred affect the food supply at the end of the year, Deputy Minister?

The above losses will significantly affect the growth rate of these two sectors. To solve the food supply from now until the end of the year, especially before, during and after Tet, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will direct businesses and industry associations to join in supporting people with seeds, food, materials, etc. to quickly restore production and meet maximum food demand. This also aims to minimize the impact on CPI, exports and growth of the agricultural sector. Therefore, production recovery is the most important factor for agriculture at present.

Regarding exports, with the current growth momentum, along with the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the determination of localities to strive to achieve the targets assigned by the Government, the agricultural export target will not be adjusted.

In animal husbandry, industrial chickens only need more than 1 month, colored feather chickens over 3 months; ducks and geese only need 45-50 days to produce. From now until Tet, the agricultural sector can completely recover with the production cycle depending on the subject.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development believes that production will soon recover, especially in the fields of livestock and aquaculture, to ensure domestic supply and export.

Thank you very much for your sharing, Deputy Minister!

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