The application of high technologies is vital for the development of
agriculture, as it is entering a new stage, stated Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat. Phat announced at a conference on May 15
that Vietnam's agriculture sector was moving towards larger production
scale. "To do so, high-tech agriculture is necessary, which will increase
competitiveness and better meet consumers' demand, particularly for export,"
he added.

Head of Agriculture Department under Party Central Committee's Economic
Commission, Nguyen Van Tien, stated that high technologies had yet to create
a breakthrough in restructuring the sector. "More investment and support
policies for agriculture science and technology are required," he noted.

For years, investment in agriculture was not in line with the contribution
agriculture made for gross domestic production (GDP). In 2012 alone,
agriculture made up to 19.7 percent of GDP, but investment in the sector
only accounted for five percent of the government's total investment. Tien
stated that financial incentives were required to encourage research
institutions and public and private sectors to join in the high-tech
development of agriculture. State Bank Governor Nguyen Van Binh noted that
agriculture was a priority sector for crediting this year. Last year, credit
for agriculture reached 672 trillion VND, nearly 20 percent higher than that
of 2012.

[en.vietnamplus.vn]