Hanoi (VNA) - The agricultural production area of the winter crop innorthern provinces was expected to increase by 20 percent to meet theincreasing demand from China, said Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

China hasjust experienced a severe flood, causing a shortage of vegetables, Cuong told ameeting on August 31 reviewing the winter crop in 2019 and implementationof this year's crop in the northern region.

Sinceearlier this year, the agriculture sector had been exposed to double risksof the COVID-19 pandemic and epidemics in livestock and poultry, aswell as natural disasters, said Cuong.

In suchcircumstances, the sector set two goals to organise the production offood for 100 million people and meet export demand, the minister said.

So far,total cultivated area of 6.7 million hectares had been planted, he said.

The mostimportant tasks for farmers in the northern provinces was to focus onproducing the winter crop, because of favourable natural conditions in 31provinces and cities who experience cold winters, which could be considered anadvantage for agricultural production, Cuong said.

“The wintercrop has short production time but high economic value and is less affected bynatural disasters and pests. If the production was well organised, reaping 200-300million VND (8,600-13,000 USD) per hectare was possible," he said.

"Moreover,China has been facing rain and flooding, so they aresuffering a shortage of food, especially vegetables. We need to takeadvantage to enhance cultivation for export,” Cuong said.

The ministersuggested local administrations actively choose the plant variety structure,convert rice land and saline areas to promote the production of the crop.

He alsoasked businesses to help farmers sell their agricultural products as well asrecommended provincial People’s Committees to issue mechanisms and policiessupporting farmers in trade promotion, market research, and encouragingenterprises to sign contracts to purchase products and support brandingand traceability to ensure product quality.

The ministrysets a target of increasing this year’s winter-spring crop area to430,000-450,000ha, rising 20 percent compared to last year’s crop, while theyield was expected to reach 4.6-4.9 million tonnes, increasing 10-15 percentagainst previous years.

The totalproduction value was expected to reach about 34-36 billion VND (1.5-1.6 millionUSD) or 75 million VND (3,200 USD) per ha.

Corn, sweetpotatoes, soybeans, peanuts, and other vegetables will account for about 55 percent,while potatoes and legumes is about 45 percent.

According toNguyen Nhu Cuong, head of the ministry’s Plant Department, each province willconsider the harvested area, water source, soil conditions and marketto produce the crop to ensure the highest economic efficiency.

Theprovinces should focus on plating corn for animal husbandry. The department’sfigures showed that the corn demand for cattle breeding is 27.6 million tonnesper year./.