Farmers to be honoured with "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2016" title

As many as 63 individuals deserving the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2016” will be announced at an award ceremony as part of the “Vietnamese Farmers’ Pride 2016” programme on the evening of October 14, 2016, the programme’s organisers have said.

 

On October 5, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Education and Communications, the Vietnam Farmers’ Association, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Rural Areas Today (Nong thon ngay nay) newspaper held a joint press conference to announce the results of a vote for the “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2016” title and to introduce a live TV programme entitled “Vietnamese Farmers’ Pride 2016” and the 2016 Vietnamese Farmers’ Forum: Global Farmers—From Thought to Action.

According to Nguyen Hong Ly, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Association’s Central Committee and Head of the Organising Committee for the “Vietnamese Farmers’ Pride 2016” programme, this year’s event received 133 candidate profiles for the title. Organisers decided to grant the title to 63 outstanding candidates, including 49 males and 14 females. The oldest was farmer Nguyen Van Sang, 66, from Vi Thanh City in Hau Giang Province. The youngest was Truong Van Phuc, 32, from Go Cong Dong District in Tien Giang Province. In particular, five ethnic minorities were represented in the finals.

 

The ceremony honouring the outstanding farmers will be televised live from Hanoi Opera House on the evening of October 14, coinciding with the 86th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Farmers’ Association. Earlier, farmers honoured in previous years participated in a field trip to study high-tech agriculture models in the Republic of Korea from September 28 to October 4.

 

At the press conference, Ly said that nearly 70% of the Vietnamese population lived in rural areas and 50% of its labour force still worked in the agricultural sector, supplying food to nearly 90 million people and earning foreign currency for the nation.

 

It was necessary and meaningful to identify and praise outstanding farmers, Ly said, adding that the “Vietnamese Farmers’ Pride” programme, launched in 2013, aimed to portray Vietnamese peasants in the era of international economic integration with outstanding effort and excellent performance in production, making an important contribution to the cause of national construction and development.

 

According to the criteria of the Organising Committee, the title will be granted to farmers in four groups: Farmers achieving excellent results in the manufacture and trade of agricultural products; those have made outstanding achievements in the movement to build a modern countryside; farmers who have made outstanding contributions to the movement of the entire population to protect national security and sovereignty; and farmers with scientific initiatives and inventions bringing about high socioeconomic efficiency in agricultural production activities.

 

Also, for the first time within the framework of the programme, a forum with the theme “Global Farmers—From Thought to Action” will be held at JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi on October 16, gathering about 250 farmers, professionals, managers and scientists to exchange and discuss solutions to improve the competitiveness of Vietnam’s agricultural products and to promote agricultural restructuring and the construction of new-style rural areas.

 

Also at the press conference, Rural Areas Today in collaboration with Binh Dien Fertiliser JSC announced the winners of the third writing contest on “Vietnamese Farmers’ Pride.” One first, two second, three third and five consolation prizes were granted to the eleven winners of the contest on the theme of Vietnamese farmers.

 

(Source: NDO)