The Vietnamese agricultural sector is a pillar of support to the national economy, helping poverty reduction, ensuring social welfare and creating the conditions necessary for national industrialisation and modernisation, and ensuring the national food security.

So affirmed representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) during a ceremony to mark 35^th year of World Food Day and 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which was held on October 15^th in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

The Mekong River delta is the nation’s largest granary. (Photo for illustration)

According to MARD, there are currently some 10 million farmers’ families with over 30 million labourers, accounting for 70% of the national labourer force, creating jobs for 46% of residents and contributing some 20% of the GDP.

Having been a country that used to import food, Vietnam is presently a world leading exporter of rice, pepper, cashew nuts, cassava, tea, rubber and some fisheries products, which contributed to reducing the poverty rate from 58% in 1993 to below 6% in 2014.

This year, the World Food Day delivers the theme of “Social Protection and agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty”. According to Le Quoc Doanh, MARD Deputy Minister, Vietnam is exerting great efforts in order to establish a system of social protection covering the whole population by 2020, targeting minimum employment and income for the people. The country is also acting in an attempt to help all people join social insurance and give support to extremely disadvantaged people./.

( Compiled by VNF )