Vietnam Town

Over 100,000ha of rice fields is devoted to industrial development

VietNamNet Bridge – In many provinces, industrial zones are being built everywhere, even on fat rice fields. Scientists are worried that if the government doesn’t take tough measures, Vietnam will face food security instability very soon.

The northern province of Hung Yen is a typical example. This province plans to develop up to 20 industrial zones which need 6,155ha of land by 2015 and 9,305ha by 2020. Hung Yen is calling for investment in four industrial zones in the districts of Kim Dong, Tien Lu, Phu Cu and Hung Yen Town, totalling 500ha of land. This means that a vast area of cultivated land will be reclaimed to develop industry.

In Hai Duong province, Binh Giang district alone has pulled nearly 830,000sq.m of land for 52 industrial projects.

In Bac Ninh province, ten years after the province realised its investment incentive policy, 3,000ha of cultivated land had been reclaimed. According to statistics, one in every five households loses their cultivated land. In some villages, 90-95% of cultivated land has disappeared.

Hanoi annually revokes over 1,000ha of land, 80% of which is cultivated land, to serve industrial projects. This year the capital city plans to revoke 1,500ha, including 904ha of two-rice-crop land. This will affect the lives of nearly 40,000 farmer families.

Statistics made by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment show that in five years, from 2001-2005, 366,000ha of cultivated land was revoked for industrial activities, accounting for 3.9% of the total cultivated land in the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has calculated that each hectare of reclaimed land affects ten farmers, so the withdrawal of crop land in the 2001-2005 period touched 2.5 million people, including 300,000 families in the Red River Delta and over 100,000 families in the southwestern region.

Dr. Nguyen Tri Hoan, Vice Rector of the Food Crop Institute, said if the government doesn’t take tough measures, Vietnam will not be able to keep its current nearly 4 million hectares of cultivated land as provinces are trying to call for investment in industrial projects.

“Local authorities see low profit from agriculture so they call for investment in industry. But it is very dangerous that industrial zones are being built everywhere, even on fertile soil. Every province is racing to attract investment in industrial zones so the speed of field loss is high, especially in Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Thai Binh and Ha Tay. Meanwhile, to set up a field, it takes thousands of years. If we want to turn industrial land into cultivated land now, it is impossible,” Hoan said.

He said local authorities are granted great power in arranging land for production and they easily satisfy investor’s requests for land.

The Institute for Research and Assistance for Rural Development warned that food security is not ensured for villages and communes where the revoked land area accounts for over one-third of cultivated land.

There is a paradox that millions of farmers are suffering from the loss of cultivated land for industrial zones but these zones are not filled up.

Dr. Hoan said the MARD is designing a strategy to ensure food security which will be finalised this August, in which the ministry will set aside 3.8-4 million hectares of land for agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat recently revealed that MARD and MoNRE were making a survey of the use of rice land nationwide. He stressed that localities must devote infertile, not fat soil for industry.

However, it is difficult for Vietnam to keep cultivated land because it still lacks a specific plan on the use of cultivated land and local authorities have the right to decide how land is used.

While cultivated land is being narrowed, climate changes pose more risks for food security. The Head of the Food Crop Institute, Dr. Nguyen Van Tuat, said that Vietnam must produce 35-36 million tonnes of rice per year, export five million tonnes and ensure food security.

He said the total rice area may decline over 10,000ha a year but Vietnam must ensure total rice output by increasing rice productivity.

Ha Yen