The industrialisation and modernisation in the rural areas is attracting much attention from delegates attending the 11 ^th National Party Congress.

In a report on building Vietnamese farmers class in the industrialisation and modernisation process, Nguyen Quoc Cuong from the Vietnam Farmers’ Association, emphasised the role and contribution of Vietnamese farmers in the national defence and construction, the revolutionary struggle for national independence, the renewal process, and the building of socialism.

The resolution of the seventh congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (10 ^th tenure) stressed that agriculture, farmers, and rural areas play a strategic role in the country’s industrialisation and modernization and in the national construction and defence.

Farmers are the major force contributing to maintaining sustainable socio-economic development and political stability, ensuring national security, preserving and upholding the traditional culture value, and protecting the country’s ecological environment, says the resolution. It also attaches great importance to reinforcement of the alliance between workers, farmers, and intellectuals during the country’s industrialisation and modernisation.

In order to implement the Party’s resolution, Vietnamese farmers have brought into full play the patriotic tradition to overcome difficulties and challenges, contributing to the country’s achievements. Stable development of agriculture has not only ensured Vietnam’s food security but also made the country become the world’s leading rice exporting country. In addition, Vietnam has made great achievements in poverty reduction.

Cuong said building a strong farmers class does not mean focusing on quantitative development but to help them improve their qualifications and skills and bolster their confidence in the leadership of the Party.

He also proposed that the Party and State introduce policies to promote socio-economic development in rural areas, improve farmers’ living conditions, provide rural workers with training, and create jobs for rural residents. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the investment to upgrade rural infrastructure as mentioned in the Party’s resolution.

All of the above will help Vietnamese farmers become qualified to meet the needs of the industrialisation and modernisation, Cuong said.

Programmes on building new rural areas also stressed the importance of finding different sources of capital for agriculture and rural development, especially irrigation.

Delegates are confident that Vietnam’s agriculture, particularly the development of rural human resources, will enjoy a significant development after the Congress. It will be one of the key factors contributing to the socio-economic development in the 2011-2020 period.

Nguyen Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Vinh Long Provincial People’s Committee, expressed his hope that the Party and State will introduce better policies for officials at grassroot levels  as they are implementers of the Party’s and State policies in their localities.

Thanh expressed his agreement with the national target programme to create new rural areas, saying that it will benefit farmers. He also proposed increasing the investment, especially in the infrastructure, to make the programme more successful.

In the draft 2011-2020 socio-economic development strategy, the Party stressed the importance of taking advantage of tropical agriculture to develop large-scale production with high productivity and effectiveness, increase the output of farm products and their export revenue, improve farmers’ living conditions, and ensure national food security. It shows the consistency of Party’s policies in developing agriculture and building new rural areas in the context of the transition toward socialism.