According to the orientation on streamlining the apparatus, the Plan of the Government Steering Committee clearly states that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will be merged. The merger of the two ministries will overcome some overlaps in the implementation of management tasks on water resources, river basins and biodiversity.
Regarding the orientation of restructuring and streamlining the organizational apparatus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will end the activities of the Party Executive Committee and establish the Party Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development according to the requirements and plans of the Politburo.
For administrative organizations, continue to maintain 2 Departments: Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development and Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention and Control.
Continue to maintain 6 general staff units, which will be merged with corresponding units of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (TNMT), including: Department of International Cooperation; Department of Science and Technology, Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Organization and Personnel, Ministry Office, Ministry Inspectorate.
Merge the Department of Planning and the Department of Finance, and at the same time, merge with the Department of Planning and Finance (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment).
Merge the Department of Irrigation and the Department of Construction Management into the Department of Irrigation Management and Construction.
Merge the Department of Crop Production and the Department of Plant Protection into the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection.
Merge the Department of Animal Husbandry and the Department of Veterinary Medicine into the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.
Merge the Forestry Department and the Forest Protection Department into the Forestry - Forest Protection Department.
Merge the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Fisheries Control and the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development into the Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Control.
For units under the organizational structure of the Ministry: 5 units listed in the organizational structure of the Ministry in Decree No. 105/2022/ND-CP will be maintained, including: Institute of Strategy and Policy on Agriculture and Rural Development; School of Management Staff of Agriculture and Rural Development; Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper; Agriculture and Rural Development Magazine; Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics.
These units will merge with units with corresponding functions of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment upon merger.
The National Agricultural Extension Center remains a public service unit under the organizational structure of the Ministry.
For administrative organizations under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the model of the General Department of Hydrometeorology will be ended; the General Department of Hydrometeorology will be reorganized into the Department of Hydrometeorology.
Merge 3 land management units (Land Department; Department of Land Resources Planning and Development; Department of Land Registration and Information Data) into the Department of Land Management. At the same time, study the plan to have a career organization performing the functions and tasks of research on land investigation and planning under the Ministry or under the Department to serve the state management of land.
Merge 2 units in charge of environmental management (Department of Environment, Department of Environmental Pollution Control) into the Department of Environment. Merge 2 units in charge of geology and minerals (Vietnam Geological Survey and Vietnam Minerals Department) into the Vietnam Geological Survey and Minerals Department.
Previously, the two Ministries established a Steering Committee to develop a project to merge the two Ministries.
The Steering Committee for the merger project of the two Ministries has agreed that the name of the Ministry after the merger will be: "Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment".
Regarding the organizational structure, on the basis of arranging and streamlining the organizational apparatus of the two Ministries, the Steering Committee has agreed on the organizational structure of the new Ministry to have 30 focal points, reducing 25 focal points which are departments, divisions, and affiliated units compared to the current 55 focal points in the organizational structure of the two Ministries (corresponding to a reduction of over 45%).
Of which, the general staff block reduced 8 focal points, the specialized state management block reduced 10 focal points compared to the existing 27 focal points, and the public service unit block reduced 7 focal points compared to the existing 12 focal points.
