Vietnam’s success in producing the vaccine for the first time is extremely significant to the country’s animal husbandry industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced 10 outstanding achievements in 2018:
1. Agriculture, forestry and seafood GDP rose 3.76%, the highest-ever rate in recent 7 years. The growth showed creativeness and innovation in management and breakthroughs in the actions of the Ministry since the beginning of the year; overcoming difficulties in unusual weather and market with sharp price declines in agricultural, forestry and seafood products.
2. Export turnover of agriculture, forestry and seafood surpassed USD40 billion, up 9.6% over a year earlier and higher than the target of USD36-37 billion set by the Government and USD40 billion set by the Ministry; the record rate so far, with shipment to 180 countries and territories.
3. The National Assembly adopted the Law on Cultivation and Law on Livestock. So far, 7 laws in agriculture and rural development have been issued, including Law on Cultivation (2018), Law on Livestock (2018), Law on Irrigation (2017), Law on Forestry (2017), Law on Fisheries (2017), Law on Veterinary (2015), and Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine (2013).
4. The number of newly-established firms in the agricultural sector is 2,200, a year-on-year rise of 12.3%, bringing the total number to 9,235. The country built and developed linking model with 1,096 chains (up 305 compared to 2017), 1,426 products and 3,174 locations to sell products.
5. Checking, cutting and simplifying 173 out of 354 business investment conditions; reviewing, standardizing and announcing the list of agricultural products coded HS from 7,698 to 1,768 (cutting over 77%). Thirteen administrative procedures have been connected with the National Single Window and eighteen administrative procedures performed online public services at level 4.
6. The country has 3,787 communes meeting new-style rural area standards (42.4%); 61 district-level units met new-style rural area standards; and rural household income reached about VND130 million, 1.71 times higher than 2012 and 3.5 times higher than 2008.
7. Stopping the exploitation of natural forest wood; the volume of planted forest wood and scattered trees reached 27.5 million m3 and forest coverage posted 41.65%, the highest-ever rate since Vietnam’s national reunification (1975).
8. Vietnam signed Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and harmoniously negotiated regulations to soon remove the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing yellow card.
9. Vietnam successfully produced the vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Type O. The AVAC-V6 FMD Emulsion vaccine, developed by AVAC, a member of the Rural Technology Development Group, has been certified by the MARD’s Department of Animal Health.
The FMD is a dangerous, highly contagious disease that could cause huge economic losses. Therefore, the success in producing the vaccine for the first time is extremely significant to the country’s animal husbandry industry.
10. In spite of complicated natural disasters, the comprehensive direction, high determination and four on-the-spot motto in disaster management limited damages at the lowest rate (human losses reduced by 43% and physical losses by 67% from the previous year)./.