Agriculture is the 'workhorse' of the economy

On October 1, in Hanoi, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize the 10th National Farmers' Forum in 2025. The President of the Vietnam Farmers' Union and the Minister of Industry and Trade - Listening to farmers speak, with the theme "Connecting markets - Building brands - Promoting agricultural product consumption, contributing to the country's double-digit economic growth".

View of the Forum. Photo: Ngoc Bich - VNA

At the Forum, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dien, Minister of Industry and Trade, said that in recent years, especially in the post-COVID-19 period, our country's economy has faced many difficulties: strategic competition between major economies has become increasingly fierce, and supply chain disruptions have occurred more frequently.

However, Vietnam still maintains macroeconomic stability - and one of the important pillars that creates that stability is agriculture. We all know that the current Vietnamese economy is based on three main driving forces: investment - consumption - export. To achieve this result, the Party and State leaders have summarized and assessed that we have been developing based on three growth contents: Investment - Consumption - Export.

In the agricultural sector, the two driving forces of consumption and export have clearly demonstrated their key roles. Agriculture not only ensures a stable domestic life, but also contributes to increasing export turnover, maintaining trade surplus, and making a large contribution to foreign exchange reserves. It can be said that agriculture is the “workhorse” of the economy in the recent difficult period.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien spoke at the forum.

However, looking at the reality, we have to admit that the potential of Vietnamese agriculture is still very large but has not been fully exploited. To achieve the target of higher growth, even double-digit growth as we expect, farmers or the agricultural sector alone cannot do it.

In particular, our agricultural sector has been performing very well through export consumption in recent times, with no disruption in domestic supply and contributing to supporting countries in the region, especially countries with trade agreements.

In particular, our agriculture is considered the pillar of the economy, contributing to increasing export turnover and increasing trade surplus with the world.

The role of the Industry and Trade sector is extremely important. If production is the "root", then the market and trade are the "extended arms" to bring Vietnamese agricultural products further, sell them at higher values, and more sustainably. "If we move towards an agricultural economy, the Industry and Trade sector is very important in this agricultural economy", Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized.

According to Minister Nguyen Hong Dien, in the past, coordination between the two sectors of Agriculture and Industry and Trade has existed, but it has been spontaneous, based on each focal point and individual. Today, through this forum - with the theme "Connecting markets - Building brands - Contributing to domestic economic growth", I believe that this is the right time for us to establish a more systematic and sustainable coordination mechanism. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is ready to accompany.

Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union spoke at the forum.

Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union, said that the Forum "Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers' Union - Minister of Industry and Trade Listens to Farmers Speak" in 2025 with the theme "Connecting the market - Building brands - Promoting agricultural product consumption, contributing to double-digit growth" took place at the right time when the Politburo had just issued important Resolutions to make a breakthrough in national development, also known as the "Strategic Quartet", which are Resolutions: Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthrough in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on "International integration in the new situation"; Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW on innovation in law-making and enforcement to meet the requirements of national development in the new era; Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW on private economic development.

Therefore, the organization of the Forum is of profound and important significance in concretizing the Party and State's guidelines and policies into the practice of production, business and consumption of agricultural, forestry and fishery products. The Forum is also an important preliminary activity to discuss and clarify related issues before the Prime Minister's Dialogue Conference with Farmers in 2025, which will take place in the near future.

According to statistics, in 2024, the export turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products of our country reached a record level of 62.5 billion USD and the figure for the first 8 months of 2025 reached 45.57 billion USD with 10 key commodity groups such as rice, coffee, pepper, cashew, shrimp, pangasius, wood and wood products... with a turnover of 1 billion USD or more. Our agricultural, forestry and fishery products are currently exported to the markets of more than 190 countries and territories.

According to Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, this result is first of all due to the continuous efforts in labor and production of farmers from the movements of good production and business, patriotic emulation movements, building new rural areas, developing agricultural economy; at the same time, it is also the result of the strategy, open door policy, and continuous development of agricultural product market of the Industry and Trade sector in recent periods.

However, to achieve the target of agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover of 70 billion USD by the end of this year and 100 billion USD by 2030, we still have many difficulties and challenges ahead, especially in the context of increasingly fierce trade competition between countries, especially the US imposing reciprocal export taxes on many countries, including Vietnam at present.

According to assessment, the potential for exporting and consuming agricultural products of Vietnam is still large, however, access to new markets is still limited, many of our agricultural products are still exported in raw form, without brand name, with 80% of products not having their own brand name. Besides, the development of the domestic market has not been focused on and exploited effectively.

Along with that, Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas by 2030; The 13th Party Central Committee's vision to 2045 also clearly stated the tasks and solutions, which are: "Focus on developing the domestic agricultural market, proactively and effectively exploiting opportunities from Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), stabilizing traditional markets, expanding and diversifying export markets, avoiding dependence on a few markets. Having fundamental solutions to effectively and promptly overcome the difficult consumption situation and congestion of agricultural products exported across the border. Strongly shifting from small-scale exports to official exports; urgently building distribution centers, goods transit, warehouse systems, preservation means, diversifying transportation methods. Timely informing about international commitments and policy changes of import markets. Effectively and practically implementing trade promotion and advertising based on the application of information technology and digital transformation...".

“To carry out the above tasks and solutions, in recent years, the Vietnam Farmers' Union and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have coordinated and implemented many effective coordination and cooperation programs on building OCOP agricultural product brands, promoting and advertising agricultural products domestically and internationally. In particular, implementing Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP of the Government on the Action Program to implement Resolution No. 46-NQ/TW of the Politburo on innovating and improving the quality of activities of the Vietnam Farmers' Union to meet the requirements and tasks of the revolution in the new period, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union is currently developing a Project on "Promoting and promoting trade for Vietnamese agricultural products domestically and internationally for the period up to 2030" to submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation. To complete this Project and put it into practice, the coordination and support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is indispensable. Therefore, organizing this Forum is extremely necessary and timely", Mr. Luong Quoc Doan emphasized. strong.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep-la-con-ngua-tho-cua-nen-kinh-te-20251001120718552.htm