Day: October 9, 2022

The agricultural sector is aiming for a growth rate of 2.8-3% this year, higher than the growth of 2.5-2.8% assigned by the Government, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

It is also striving to earn 55 billion USD from agro-forestry-aquatic product exports in 2022, 5 billion USD higher than the figure assigned by the Government.

 

In the first nine months, the export turnover of agro-forestry-aquatic products is estimated at 40.8 billion USD, up 15.2% year-on-year. Meanwhile, imports totalled 33.9 billion USD, up 5.7% year-on-year. This means the trade surplus mounted to 6.9 billion USD, doubling the same period last year.

 

To achieve the targets, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that the ministry will adjust production plans and the crop structure to suit domestic consumption and export demand, and focus on directing the development of concentrated production areas.

Efforts will be made to promote sustainable livestock development, ensure supply and stabilise food and pork prices to keep the consumer price index (CPI) within the allowable range, especially during the coming Lunar New Year, Tien said.

 

Along with closely monitoring the developments of climate and diseases on plants and livestock, the ministry will seek measures to boost production; remove difficulties in circulation, consumption and exports of agricultural products; and ensure sufficient supplies of food and foodstuffs.

 

To develop the consumption market for agricultural, forestry and aquatic products, the ministry will cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to research, analyse and forecast market developments, opportunities and challenges; and consult the Prime Minister on countermeasures and scenarios to adapt to the supply and demand of agro-forestry-aquatic products in the world./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) High Command has said that it will take more drastic measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, contributing to maintaining order and safety at sea, and sustainably developing the maritime economy while consolidating national defence and security.

 

Along with the implementation of directions from the Prime Minister and the steering committee for IUU fishing prevention and control, the VCG has coordinated with ministries and sectors to finalise legal documents, mechanisms and policies on fishing vessel management.

 

It has also helped build a national database for the management of fishing vessels and fishing permits with a monitoring centre, and install vessel monitoring and GPS positioning devices, helping to create a legal framework and corridor for forces to supervise fishing vessels in Vietnamese waters.

 

The VCG has also worked closely with other forces to manage, check and verify information of violations to put an end to IUU fishing.

 

The force has also focused on raising awareness of Vietnamese fishing regulations.

 

In the first half of 2022, the force worked with local authorities, and domestic and foreign competent agencies to arrest 29 IUU violation cases involving 48 ships and 326 fishermen.

 

They also applied administrative punishments on 178 vessels that contributed 382 million VND (16,000 USD) to the State budget./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Training on free trade agreements are among the measures suggested for the development of the farm produce market and rural tourism in the Mekong Delta.

 

The region is a key agricultural development area for the country, making up 32% of GDP of Vietnam’s agricultural sector.

 

According to Nguyen Van Hong, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee, despite such potential, the average income of people, especially farmers, in the region remains low. Local agricultural products are mainly exported raw, with a large post-harvest loss rate recorded. Meanwhile, its tourism is still fragmented.

 

While the region’s infrastructure has yet to meet development requirements, a lack of high-quality human resources is considered a major obstacle for the Mekong Delta to develop agriculture and rural tourism.

 

Participating experts, at a recent conference on the matter, said local educational facilities must shake up their training programmes to catch up with the current demand and suggested the Ministry of Education and Training set up a suitable mechanism and policy for the development of a high-quality workforce for the region.

Prof. Andreas Stoffers, Country Director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Vietnam, emphasised the role of the Vietnamese Government in promoting agricultural enterprises’ quick action to take advantage of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

 

On that basis, the Mekong Delta will have the chance to attract more high-quality investments and quality knowledge transfer from the EU. In addition, local agricultural companies will benefit from the bloc’s high-quality goods and services. Capitalising on these advantages will promote the delta’s integration into the global agricultural value chains.

 

Experts said incorporating tourism into the value chain of farming products in the region is the way forward. However, it is necessary to orient rural tourism development towards sustainability and responsibility, they noted./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

For the first time in many years, the starting salary of new graduates from Vietnamese universities and overseas universities is the same (about 10.6 million VND, or 443.5 USD, per month), according to the Talent-Mercer Total Remuneration Survey (TRS) 2022.

 

This is a good sign as the quality of domestically trained students is increasingly improving, especially foreign language skills.

 

The TRS also pointed out that high-tech, insurance, and life-science industries have seen the highest salary increases this year, with a rise of 8.8%, 8.2% and 7.6%, respectively.

 

Oil and mining, various manufacturing, and retail industries continue to have the lowest pay growth.

 

The rate of pay growth in the Vietnamese market has been dropping over time, reaching its lowest point in 2020, however, there have been indications of an upsurge due to the post-COVID economic recovery.

 

Budgets for pay raises in multinational companies increased by 0.2% in 2022 compared to 2021, while Vietnamese businesses experienced a 0.3% decline.

 

Both multinational and local companies are expected to witness similar pay growth trends of 7.1% in 2023.

 

The percentage of firms with additional staff needs has increased, with 45% of over 600 surveyed organisations reporting that they would hire more employees, 18% of businesses having not decided yet and 35% of businesses having no intentions to hire or dismiss personnel.

 

Only 2% of companies, on the other hand, plan to cut headcount in the coming year.

 

According to Talentnet, many companies are implementing benefits focused on three primary pillars – mental health, physical wellbeing and sustainable development – as a result of COVID, and restructuring the compensation scheme to meet employees’ expectations in the new normal.

 

Godelieve Van Dooren, Mercer’s CEO for the Southeast Asia Growth Markets, said employees of different genders, ages, and levels have quite diverse needs for their jobs. However, job security is still the top reason that makes them stay.

 

While female personnel are more concerned in wellbeing policies, flexible working hours, men tend to prioritise jobs with competitive salaries, advancement opportunities and professional development, she said.

 

Advancement opportunities, a pleasant working environment, and career growth will be prioritised by Gen Y employees, whereas Gen X will embrace a competitive compensation, flexible working hours, time off, or health benefits, she added.

 

A total of over 600 multinationals and local companies across 17 industries with more than 483,000 employees took part in the survey, considered the largest in Vietnam.

 

“Talent attraction and retention has always been a challenge for any business. However, this will constantly shift in response to the economic and social environment. Employees in the new normal expect a more comprehensive and equal policy for them, as well as one that is tailored to their own needs,” said Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy CEO of Talentnet.

 

“As a result, the more businesses understand the labour market and regional HR trends to rethink effective yet sustainable compensation practices, the better equipped they will be to develop a more relevant strategy,” she said./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese exporters need to continue to improve the reliability of agricultural products and ensure quality, safety and sustainability to compete globally, industry insiders said.

 

Deputy Minister of the Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that with a number of free trade agreements (FTAs) Vietnam has signed, exporters would have greater opportunities to expand export markets.

 

Of these FTAs, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which took effect early this year, brings together the 10 ASEAN member countries, along with Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea, which account for 29% of the world’s GDP and have a population of 2.2 billion.

 

Under the world’s largest trade pact, exporters will have an opportunity to expand export markets, especially in key products such as rice, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, timber and wood products.

 

Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said the trade deal would also increase the country’s agricultural exports to China, already a major market.

 

The trade pact removes tariffs on at least 64% of tariff lines. In 15-20 years, Vietnam will abolish 89.6% of tariff lines while its partner countries will remove 92% of its tariffs.

 

Other ASEAN members will remove 85.9% of all tariffs for Vietnam.

 

Challenges

 

Experts have pointed out major challenges faced by local exporters such as increasingly stricter rules of origin and quality standards and more severe competition from foreign rivals in both the domestic and foreign markets.

 

Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the ministry’s Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development, said another major problem was the weak competitiveness of Vietnamese farm produce.

 

This is largely because processed agricultural products did not have enough value added content to meet the regulations of the markets, he said.

 

In the domestic market, Vietnamese agricultural products would also have to compete with those from member states imported into the country.

 

According to Dr. Nguyen Dac Binh Minh, Director of the Institute of Regional Research and Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the traceability of export products is a mandatory requirement of multilateral FTAs, especially the FTA with the EU.

 

Accrding to Nguyen Trung Kien, Director of the ministry’s Department of International Cooperation, the EU is one of Vietnam’s four major export markets for agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

 

It is also one of the world’s three largest markets for agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

 

The EU spends about 1 trillion USD on food and beverages annually, including 300 billion USD on imports.

 

To increase the competitiveness of agricultural exports to the EU, it is important to reduce transportation costs and develop brands.

 

Low-carbon agriculture

 

Under the National Green Growth Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, the ministry will develop a low-carbon commercial agriculture toward a circular and smart economy, climate resilience, and higher competitiveness for green agro-products.

 

In a related issue, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a commitment that Vietnam will strive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

Nguyen Duc Truong, General Director of Dai Thanh Joint Stock Company, said that to achieve the net-zero carbon emission goal by 2050, the agricultural sector would need to apply advanced technologies in production, such as using organic and bio-fertilisers.

 

Kyle Kelhofer, International Finance Corporation’s Senior Country Manager of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, said, “Vietnam’s agriculture sector is at a turning point as the sector faces bright opportunities in both domestic and international markets.”

 

To better compete in the markets would largely depend upon the ability of farmers and firms to deliver agricultural products with reliability, ensuring quality, safety, and sustainability, he said.

 

“Transformation to a low-carbon, green and sustainable growth path will be key to making this happen,” he added.

 

Vietnam’s import-export value of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products reached 58.3 billion USD in the first seven months, up 7.2% year-on-year, according to the ministry.

 

Of the figure, exports were worth 32.3 billion USD, up 12.2% year-on-year, and imports were worth 26 billion USD, up 1.6%.

 

So far this year, Vietnam’s trade surplus has grown to 6.3 billion USD in agriculture, forestry and fishery products, nearly double that of the same period last year.

 

Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to over 190 countries and territories around the world, with exports reaching 48.6 billion USD last year and are forecast to reach in excess of 55 billion USD this year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) and related meetings will be held in Hanoi from October 11-14, with the participation of education ministers, senior officials and experts from 10 ASEAN member states and eight partner countries.

 

The 12th ASED, scheduled for October 13, will be chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son. It will be attended by ASEAN education ministers, representatives of the Secretariat of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Director of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), among others.

 

Delegates are about to discuss education – training in each country, and share experience in reopening schools in the post-COVID-19 period. They will also review the implementation of activities within the framework of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education for 2021-2025.

 

Other related meetings include the sixth ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (APT EMM) and the sixth East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (EAS EMM).

 

All these meetings are expected to release joint statements to affirm their resolve to strengthen cooperation and partnerships at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders.

 

The APT EMM comprises the education ministers of the 10 ASEAN member states and three ASEAN partners – Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, while the EAS EMM consists of the education ministers of the APT EMM and their five partners – the US, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and India.

 

In March 2022, Vietnam took over the chairmanship of ASEAN Education for 2022-2023 from the Philippines. It aims to reimagine learning and building resilience of education systems in Southeast Asia and beyond in the new context.

 

Vietnam has outlined five priority areas during its term, focusing on taking care and protecting learners’ mental health, enhancing education on environmental protection and climate change, ensuring equitable and quality access to education for learners, especially disadvantaged groups, promoting comprehensive digital transformation and ensure cyber safety for learners, and promoting innovation in higher education to meet development requirements./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

French-flagged cruise ship Le Lape’rouse with over 200 foreign holidaymakers aboard docked at Tien Sa port on October 9, becoming the first of its kind to visit the central coastal city of Da Nang after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The passengers, mainly from Europe and the US, were presented with flowers and gifts by representatives of the municipal Department of Tourism at a welcome ceremony held at the port.

 

They are scheduled to visit tourist destinations in the city, and Hoi An ancient city in the neighbouring province of Quang Nam.

 

At the ceremony, Huynh Thi Huong Lan, deputy director of the municipal centre for tourism promotion, affirmed the city remains an attractive destination to international tourists.

 

The local authorities will work with relevant agencies to promote the development of maritime tourism in the time to come, she stressed.

 

Le Lape’rouse is on a journey to explore the coast and famous landmarks of Vietnam, lasting between 8 and 11 days. This is a new programme for Asia of the five-star cruise ship./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency