Day: August 2, 2021

The disbursed public investment declined in July due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, but it still grew 5.6 percent in the first seven months of 2021 as compared to the same period last year.

The General Statistics Office (GSO) reported that the disbursed capital sourced from the State budget was estimated at 38.3 trillion VND (nearly 1.7 billion USD) in July, down 1.7 percent month on month and 12.4 percent year on year.

The figure between January and July reached 210.8 trillion VND, equivalent to 44.3 percent of this year’s target and up 5.6 percent from the same period last year.

The sum comprises 35.2 trillion VND managed by central agencies and another 175.6 trillion VND by localities, respectively rising 12.7 percent and 4.3 percent year on year, statistics show.

The COVID-19 resurgence has affected the implementation of public investment projects in 19 southern provinces and cities which are applying social distancing measures under the Prime Minister’s Directive 16/CT-TTg, as well as some others imposing anti-pandemic measures under Directive 15/CT-TTg, the GSO said.

It cited localities as reporting that many projects have been halted or lagged behind schedule, but investors, management boards, and contractors are making efforts and pledge to accelerate project implementation after the social distancing period is over.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Up to 10,000 gift packages, including necessities, will be handed over to needy workers in processing and industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City under a programme launched on August 2.

The programme was co-organised by the city trade union, a working group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Defence Ministry’s standing boards for COVID-19 prevention and control in HCM City and other southern localities.

The first gifts will be presented to workers in pandemic-hit areas in Thu Duc city.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam and head of the grouping group sent letters to the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of southern cities and provinces, asking them to help workers in locked-down areas with food./

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Runner Quach Thi Lan is the last Vietnamese athlete to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on August 2, as she enters the semi-final of the women’s 400m hurdles.

She will compete against 23 rivals from 20:35 (loca time) for the top eight places to advance to the final.

Lan is the sole Southeast Asian athlete and the only of the Asian origin to compete in the category.

In Heat 3 of the category’s Round 1 held on July 31, Lan ranked fifth out of the eight competitors, with a result of 55.71 seconds.

However, Leah Nugent of Jamaica was disqualified for running in the wrong lane, so she earned the fourth place and thus entering the semi-final.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, started on July 23, will close on August 8. China is currently leading the medal tally.

The Olympics is the largest sporting event in the world. It is held every four years, bringing together the top athletes from countries and territories all over the world.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A total of 583 Volvo cars have been recalled in Vietnam, which were 2019 and 2020 versions of XC60, S90, V90 and XC90 models, for replacement of fuel pump fuses.

The vehicles were manufactured from January 2019 to April 2020, imported and distributed by Sweden Auto Co.Ltd. The recall started from July 31, 2021 and will finish by July 31, 2022 in Volvo Car Hanoi, Volvo Car Saigon and Volvo Car Da Nang agents.

It will take about one hour to replace faulted fuse for free.

In April 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority (VCCA) oversaw the recall of 732 Volvo cars, including XC90, XC60, CX40, V90 and S90 models to update emergency braking control software. Of them, 476 are running and 256 in warehouses.

They were manufactured in Sweden and Malaysia from January 21, 2019 to March 15, 2020 and distributed by Sweden Auto Co.Ltd. The recall started from March 20, 2021 and will finish by December 31, 2022.

The VCCA said the recall was due to the lack of a software code in active safety domain master.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Applying digital technology into agriculture help achieve fast and sustainable development is a goal that the northern province of Vinh Phuc is aiming at.

The national digital transformation programme until 2025, with a vision to 2030, identifies agriculture as one of the eight priority fields.

Accordingly, digital transformation in agriculture will focus on developing smart agriculture and precision agriculture while raising the proportion of digital agriculture in the economy.

Farm produce’s value increases thanks to digital transformation

Since late 2018, Van Hoi Xanh, a vegetable production cooperative in Tam Duong district, has applied the VietGAP software, helping it be free from manually keeping production diaries and only need to check updated data via a computer or a smartphone.

The software has made it easier for the cooperative to monitor the use of input materials like seeds, fertilisers, and plant protection substances by its members. Besides, Van Hoi Xanh has also digitalised marketing and product selling activities.

Thanks to technology application, its vegetable output has increased by 5 – 10 percent from the past, supplying tens of tonnes of safe vegetables for the market each month.

Since 2019, Binh Minh livestock farming cooperative in Lap Thach district has spent billions of VND on upgrading and building its farming system and cooperated with some smallholders to produce clean pork under VietGAP standards, becoming the first cooperative in Vinh Phuc province to apply a circular livestock farming model.

Mac Tuan Hai, director of the cooperative, said using old farming practices, it costs farms much to hire labourers or buy feed and medicine.

When high technology is applied, each pig is numbered and monitored via e-diary. Traders can also watch via the camera system to select and purchase pigs, he noted.

Digital transformation key to developing hi-tech agriculture

The outcomes that some businesses and cooperatives in Vinh Phuc province have obtained demonstrate that digital transformation is an important key helping farmers produce agricultural products at the lowest possible costs but sell at the highest possible prices.

To create prerequisites for digital transformation in agriculture, relevant agencies in the province have proactively built database about local agriculture, forestry, and fishery; worked to apply scientific – technological advances into the sector; and advised provincial leaders about mechanisms and policies assisting agricultural firms in this regard.

Vinh Phuc is currently home to many fruit, vegetable, and livestock farming zones meeting the VietGAP standards. Many of them have gathered in production chains, thus raising production value per each hectare of farming and successfully exporting several products like red-fleshed dragon fruit, banana, and bee honey to foreign markets.

However, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also admitted that technology application and digital transformation in Vinh Phuc remain modest, and that traditional cultivation practices that primarily rely on human labour are still popular.

The target of digital transformation in agriculture is the people, which in turn are both the beneficiary and player of digital transformation. However, it will be hard to secure success if farmers are left alone during this process, but mechanisms, policies, resources, and support from authorities and enterprises are necessary, the department said.

Applying digital technology into agriculture

Basing on the national digital transformation programme, Vinh Phuc has issued special policies to encourage investment in agriculture and rural areas during the 2020 – 2025period.

It is set to gradually apply digital technology into production and business processes, along with the management and monitoring of supply chains.

In the short term, it is supporting investment in production zones of safe pork, vegetables, fruits, and flowers under VietGAP standards; helping farmers make use of technology to grow the crops and livestock that Vinh Phuc has strength in; and providing training for and transferring sci-technological advances to farmers, thus gradually forming supply chains.

Local authorities expect these moves will help the province develop hi-tech farming zones, promote trade, and advertise local agricultural products to the domestic and foreign markets.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

It is the first time a large batch of 22 tonnes of frozen fruits of Indochina Dragonplum (scientific name Dracontomelon duperreanum) trees from Vietnam has been shipped to Australia, the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia has said.

With the lowest selling price of 18 AUD per kg in the Australian market, the shipment would fetch more than 390,000 AUD.

As such, with its harvest season lasting from June to September, the potential of the export of the fruit is not inferior to that of other fruits being exported to Australia.

The fruit, called Sau in Vietnamese, is used in Vietnamese cooking for its sour taste. It is also often preserved in sugar to make a cooling drink in summer.

The trade office has worked closely with the Uu Dam company in promoting the fruit in Australia via advertisement on social networks targeting key consumption areas, sales promotion with prizes, and step-by-step introduction to large distribution systems. The office will soon launch an English-language cooking book featuring recipes using the fruit.

According to the agency, although many cities in Australian are under social distancing measures and the transport of goods for export faces many difficulties, in the first half, Vietnam’s export of fruits and vegetables to Australia posted a record growth of more than 52 percent compared to the same period in 2019, reaching more than 40 million USD. If other key agricultural products like cashew nut, peppercorn, coffee and rice are included are taken into account, the total export value amounted to 110 million USD.

Source: Vietnam News Agency