(VOVworld) – National Assembly deputies on Monday discussed policies and laws on the management and use of farm and forest land. The session was broadcast live on Voice of Vietnam radio and national TV channels.

Moc Chau tea farms (illustrative photo)

In order to effectively reform farm and forest companies, it’s necessary to identify the responsibility of ministries, sectors, and localities in managing and using farm and forest land. Nguyen Thu Anh represents Lam Dong province: “It’s necessary to reckon up land reserves, the shortage of land for production and housing nationwide and in each locality, and the causes. The administration has to withdraw land, which is left fallow or used for unregistered purposes, and strictly punish violators of the land law.”

Deputies called for increased communications on land policies to provide people with legal knowledge in addition to improving management mechanism, entrusting provinces with specific responsibilities and tasks in land use and management to attract investment in agriculture.

Le Thi Nguyet who represents Vinh Phuc province says: “The current solution is to re-adjust the model of production by re-zoning rice fields to create larger fields to increase the application of science and technology. It’s necessary to link investors, agricultural farms, and afforestation. The government is submitting to the National Assembly a policy on tax exemption for agricultural land, agricultural farms, and afforestation.”

Concluding the session, National Assembly Deputy Chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, praised deputies’ comments on the development of state agricultural and forestry farms and their land use:  “We focus our supervision on the enforcement of land laws and land use management in state owned farms over the past decade as stipulated in the National Assembly supervision agenda. The National Assembly agrees on a resolution assigning the government’s execution of land policies in agricultural and forestry farms. Their restructuring proposals should be finalized next year for implementation by 2020.”

The same day, NA deputies adopted a resolution on socio-economic development plan for 2016 under which Vietnam continues to stabilize the macro-economy, control inflation, maintain economic growth rate, and try to reach a GDP growth of 6.7% with a total export revenue rising 10% and CPI at 5%.