Sir, in the current new development context, what key directions and solutions has the Vietnam Farmers' Union proposed to strongly promote the role of farmers as the subjects in agricultural economic development, thereby making positive contributions to the overall growth of the country?
- The IX Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Union this time takes place in a very new context. This is the first Congress to organize the Vietnam Farmers' Union to be directly under the Vietnam Fatherland Front. Based on the unified consultation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations and deeply grasping Resolution No. 46 of the Politburo, the guiding spirit of the General Secretary, we determine that the Association's activities must be practical, effective, close to the people, close to the people and bring practical and specific benefits, with clear testing and evaluation.
To realize the goal of improving the capacity, qualifications, and skills of farmers to promote the central and subjective role in agricultural and rural economic development and new rural construction, the Resolution of the IX Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Union will propose 6 tasks and solutions, focusing on 4 breakthrough tasks.
First of all, it is necessary to continue to strongly innovate methods of propaganda, mobilization, gathering, and unifying farmers associated with digital transformation in the Association's work. Accordingly, the Association's propaganda work must be associated with specific models and movements so that farmers can clearly see the direction of production and business development.
Next is to innovate the method of gathering members. Instead of only gathering according to residential areas as before, the Association will rearrange and reorganize according to branches, professional association groups, clubs with the same interests and occupations such as animal husbandry groups, rice farming groups, and aquaculture groups. From there, the transfer of technology and business connection will be accurate and meet the needs of each member.
In the past term, the Associations at all levels have established 2,419 branches, 11,708 Association groups, 3,230 newly established clubs, attracting nearly 475,000 members to participate in the Association organization (reaching 117.0% of the plan).
The awareness of association members and farmers about cooperation and linkage has clearly changed, actively participating in collective economic development, establishing 1,028 new cooperatives (exceeding 2.8% of the term target), 5,225 agricultural cooperative groups (exceeding 4.5% of the term target), attracting nearly 1.3 million farming households to participate, contributing to the implementation of the goals according to Decision No. 182/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2024 of the Prime Minister and Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated June 16, 2022 of the 13th Party Central Committee.
The second breakthrough task is that the Vietnam Farmers' Union focuses on mobilizing and supporting farmers to develop the collective economy in agriculture associated with ensuring food safety.
The third breakthrough task is for the Vietnam Farmers' Union to strengthen the improvement of qualifications and skills for Union officials and farmer members, focusing on digital knowledge and skills.
And the 4th breakthrough task is that the Vietnam Farmers' Union promotes mobilization, guidance, and support for good farmers in production and business to participate in developing businesses operating in the agricultural sector.
Among the emulation targets of the new term of the Vietnam Farmers' Union, the Union levels strive to mobilize, guide, and support union members and farmers to establish at least 5,000 businesses operating in the agricultural sector from excellent farmers. To make each farmer truly become a businessman, what policies and solutions will the Union propose to create an environment for them to develop and break through, sir?
- The figure of 5,000 enterprises from excellent Vietnamese farmers is a very high and challenging target in the new term. However, through farmer emulation movements for good production and business and the "Proud of Vietnamese Farmers" program, we realize that the aspiration to rise up of farmers is extremely great.
To concretize this goal, the Vietnam Farmers' Union focuses on 3 main contents: innovating propaganda and mobilization work to help farmer members understand the guidelines and policies of the Party and the Union to create consensus.
The second is to strengthen the connecting role of the Farmers' Association as a guiding pillar, connecting farmers with scientists, businesses and cooperatives. This is a stage that we have frankly recognized in the past as still limited and weak.
In addition, the Association will promote service activities, consulting, and supporting farmers to develop production and business. The Association provides comprehensive support in terms of science and technology, capital sources and trade promotion, promotion, and product consumption for farmers. Excellent Vietnamese Farmers already have experience, capacity, technology and good foundations. When supported by the mechanisms and policies of the Party and State and the companionship of the Association, they will have a great advantage to establish businesses and become locomotives to pull the rural economy to develop.
Sir, one of the highlights shaping the prestige of the Association is the organization and implementation of emulation movements. Please, Chairman, share more specifically about the results that the Association levels have achieved in the past term for two core movements: "Farmers emulation to produce and do business well, unite to help each other get rich and reduce poverty sustainably" and "Officials, members, and farmers actively participate in collective economic development in agriculture"?
- In the past term, the Associations at all levels have actively innovated and improved the quality of farmer movements, focusing on 2 core movements of the Association. Specifically:
The movement "Farmers produce and do business well, unite to help each other get rich and reduce poverty sustainably" launched by the Central Association since 1989 has been enthusiastically responded to and participated in by a large number of farming households.
In the past term, this movement continued to be innovated and improved in quality with over 3.4 million farming households achieving the title of good production and business at all levels (reaching 121.3% of the plan), of which nearly 204,000 good farmers and excellent farmers were trained and fostered in knowledge (reaching 178.4% of the plan). Many good production and business farmers and excellent farmers have become directors of small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas.
This is the core force, not only the "leader" leading the farmer movement but also the foundation for forming a class of "Professional Farmers", an important human resource to participate in private economic development in the agricultural sector in the spirit of Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025 of the Politburo.
The movement "Officials, members, and farmers actively participate in collective economic development in agriculture" was launched at the beginning of 2024 but has created a social effect and brought about clear results.
During the term, the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels newly established 1,028 cooperatives (exceeding 2.8% of the term target), 5,225 agricultural cooperative groups (exceeding 4.5% of the term target), attracting nearly 1.3 million farming households to participate, contributing to the implementation of the goals according to Decision No. 182/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2024 of the Prime Minister and Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated June 16, 2022 of the 13th Party Central Committee.
For movements to go deeper, mechanisms, policies and resources are the decisive factors. So in the past term, how has the Farmers' Association proactively unblocked these "bases" through the Government's Projects as well as major cooperation programs to directly support farmers, sir?
- To make the movements deeper and more substantive, the Association has proactively researched and concretized its role and responsibility by building and submitting to the Prime Minister for promulgation major projects, creating tools to directly support farmers.
During the term, the Prime Minister approved 4 important projects with decisions, creating a basis and motivation for breakthrough, innovation, and comprehensive development of the Association's activities and the farmers' movement.
Decision No. 182/QD-TTg on approving the Project of the Vietnam Farmers' Union participating in collective economic development in agriculture to 2030;
Decision No. 517/QD-TTg on approving the Project on Training cadres of Farmers' Associations at all levels, heads of branches of farmers and farmers who are good at production and business, and excellent farmers in the period 2025 - 2030;
Decision No. 1081/QD-TTg on approving the Project on consolidating the organization and operation of the Central Farmers' Support Fund;
Decision No. 110/QD-TTg on approving the Project on Propagating, mobilizing, and guiding farmers to produce and trade safe agricultural products and food for community health in the period 2026 - 2030.
In addition, the Association proactively coordinates with ministries and sectors to organize forums to listen to farmers and periodically organize annual conferences for the Prime Minister to dialogue with farmers.
In the term of the VIII Congress from 2023 to present, the Vietnam Farmers' Union has successfully organized 2 dialogue conferences between the Prime Minister and farmers, 4 ministerial-level forums "Listening to farmers speak" thereby promptly removing difficulties and obstacles in production and business for farmers, cooperatives, and businesses. These activities continue to affirm the role of the Union as an important bridge to bring policies and guidelines to farmers, consolidating farmers' trust in the Party and State.
Regarding capital sources, the Vietnam Farmers' Union has a Farmers' Support Fund reaching nearly 6,000 billion VND, coordinating with banks to implement credit guarantees with banks such as the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to support farmers to borrow capital of over 200,000 billion VND to develop production and business, contributing to limiting black credit in rural areas.
Regarding input materials, the Associations at all levels coordinate with reputable businesses to guarantee the supply of quality seeds and input materials to farmers in the form of interest-free deferred payment with over 417,000 tons of various types of fertilizers, nearly 340,000 tons of animal feed, and agricultural machinery.
Recently, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union and Vietnam Chemical Group signed a cooperation agreement to deploy the application of material management, guiding farmers to use fertilizers and pesticides according to standards. At the same time, the Union also connects scientists to transfer high technology in cultivation, animal husbandry, and aquaculture to farmers.
Implementing Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee and Decision 304-QD/TW of the Politburo, the organizational structure of the Association is now much more streamlined, with fewer people while the volume of tasks increases. How will the Association consolidate and operate the apparatus to meet the requirements of operation in this new context?
- When implementing streamlining the organizational structure according to Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee and Decision 304-QD/TW of the Politburo, the organizational structure of the Farmers' Association is now much more streamlined, with fewer people, while the requirements from practice are higher, and tasks are not reduced but even increased.
Therefore, the Association's activities must be practical, effective, close to the people, and bring specific benefits to members and farmers on the basis of clear test and evaluation of results, as directed by the General Secretary.
To meet the requirements in the new situation, the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union clearly defines the responsibilities and leadership methods of each level of the Union.
The Central level must be the level to focus on researching and concretizing the Party's guidelines and resolutions, the position and functions of the Association to orient and propose mechanisms and policies, and at the same time organize the summary and practical evaluation.
The provincial level is responsible for concretizing the resolutions and projects of the Central Government to suit the context and local situation to direct implementation.
Finally, the grassroots level is the level that directly implements those goals to bring the resolution into life.
To make the streamlined apparatus operate smoothly and substantively, the Executive Committee and the Standing Committee of the Central Vietnam Farmers' Union will focus on three core solutions.
One is to strongly innovate leadership methods, clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each level to avoid overlap and also not general direction.
Two is to focus on improving the quality and capacity of the Association's staff; this is the key stage in improving the organization of association activities when the number of personnel decreases.
Three is to promote comprehensive digital transformation in the Association system because if digital transformation is not carried out, it cannot meet the tasks in the new context.
The IX National Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Union is a major political event for the Vietnamese farming class. Before this important event, if there is an inspiring message sent to millions of Vietnamese farmer members about the aspiration to break through to become business owners, what would you say?
- Vietnamese farmers inherently have the virtue of endurance, self-reliance and strong aspiration to rise up. In the current new context, with the extremely correct guidelines and policies of the Party and State, the drastic companionship of all levels of government and the comprehensive transformation of the Farmers' Association organization in the upcoming IX term, I have a firm belief that Vietnamese farmers have sufficient confidence, capacity and bravery to break through, become true agricultural business owners in the coming time, enrich themselves and develop modern, sustainable and livable rural areas.
Thank you very much, sir!
