Hanoi (VNA) - As many as 40 hi-tech agriculture enterprises have beengranted licenses so far, including 12 ones operating in cultivation, 19 inaquaculture and nine others in animal husbandry, according to the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Asof June 2018, Vietnam has 35 hi-tech agricultural zones established underdecisions issued by the Prime Minister and local authorities.

Under Decision No. 575/2015/QD-TTg on approving the master plan of hi-tech agriculturalareas and zones by 2020 with orientation to 2030, eight hi-tech agriculturezones have been implemented. They are in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho city, and BinhDuong, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh provinces.

Meanwhile, there are five zones recognised in Kien Giang, An Giang, Phu Yen, andLam Dong provinces, which specialise in shrimp farming, flower and rice growing.

MARD Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said although the number of hi-techagricultural areas is small, thousands of billions of Vietnamese dong have beeninvested in the field by enterprises and localities in order to promote hi-techapplication in agriculture production since issuance of the Law on HighTechnology.

The hi-tech application has been also included in national target, socio-economicand sci-technology development programmes at State and ministry levels as wellas development tasks of sectors and localities, he added.

Corporations, companies and cooperatives have cooperated with farmers inapplying high technologies to produce goods in a large scale, thus bringinghigh economic efficiency.

Manyhi-tech agricultural production areas have been developed nationwide such ashigh quality rice variety and rice production areas; fruit production areas meetingVietGAP standards; organic and safe vegetables production areas; and industrial-scalelivestock areas meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

Acredit package worth 100 trillion VND (4.32 billion USD) has been launched toencourage hi-tech and clean agriculture development.

According to the State Bank of Vietnam, by the end of May 2018, outstanding balancefor the field was estimated at about 40 trillion VND (1.73 billion USD), with 14,723clients. The interest rates are around 5.3-6.5 percent per annum for short-termloans, and about 8.5-10 percent per annum for medium and long-term loans.-VNA