Ministry proposes protection of most fertile rice land

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is proposing strict and long-term protection of the most fertile land for rice farming in an effort to ensure food security.
The proposal is prompted by the spreading encroachment of rice farming land by industrial zones and urban areas in many localities, particularly the Red River and Mekong deltas - the country's largest rice basket regions.
MARD is working on a scheme on rice cultivation development to ensure national food security up to 2015 and 2020, which says the country has to reserve at least 3.9 million ha of land for rice farming. By 2006 the country had a total rice cultivation area of 4.13 million ha.
The ministry says although Vietnam 's rice paddy productivity increased by an average 2.06 percent or 770,000 tonnes a year in the 1997-2006 period, the country's annual rice paddy output remained at approximately 36 million tonnes due to the shrinkage in area.
MARD forecast that the country's annual rice paddy output will reach 37.58 million tonnes in 2010, 38.75 million tonnes in 2015 and 39.63 million tonnes in 2020.
Rice paddy consumption is forecast to increase from 27.6 million tonnes last year to 33.2 million tonnes in 2020. Rice paddy volume for export is estimated at 6.34-8.3 million tonnes, equivalent to 3.8-4.5 million tonnes of rice.
Under the scheme, the ministry also proposes that less fertile land can be used for planting other short-term food crops or animal food crops, but nor for other agricultural or non-agricultural purposes.
Infertile rice farming land not designated for building irrigation systems can be used for other purposes.-Enditem