Listening to farmers to foster sustainable agricultural development

The quality of agricultural materials, market access for farm produce, maintenance of growing area codes, and capital demands were among farmers’ practical concerns raised at the 2026 Dialogue Conference between Dong Nai City People's Committee leadership and local farmers.

Member of the Standing Board of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Anh (right) exchanges views with farmers.

The conference was not only a forum for farmers to express their concerns and aspirations but also demonstrated the city government’s determination to accompany farmers, remove obstacles, and promote modern, sustainable agricultural and rural development.

Farmers voice their concerns and aspirations

On June 24, the Dong Nai City People's Committee held the 2026 Dialogue Conference between the City People's Committee leadership and Farmers under the theme: “Applying science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation in agriculture”. Discussions focused on issues of greatest concern to producers, including the quality of agricultural materials, the development of sustainable value chains, the maintenance of growing area codes, financial support, and the application of science and technology in production.

According to Ho Cong Trinh, a delegate from Tan Phu Ward, low-quality fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and other agricultural materials still remain available on the market, causing losses for farmers while reducing crop yields and product quality. Based on this reality, he called on the city government to strengthen the management, inspection, and supervision of agricultural materials businesses. He also proposed enhancing public awareness and guidance to help farmers identify, select, and use safe, high-quality products suitable for agricultural production.

“Alongside the efforts of state management agencies, people need to improve their knowledge, choose products with clear origins, and avoid the temptation of low prices that may lead them to use substandard agricultural products”.
Nguyen Tuan Anh, Member of the Standing Board of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee

Sharing the difficulties faced by the collective economy, Nguyen Hoang Thuong, Director of Binh Long Durian Cooperative, said that farmers not only struggle with poor-quality agricultural materials but also lack investment resources, particularly capital to expand production and adopt new technologies. Therefore, he urged relevant authorities to continue supporting the development of collective economoy in an ecological and environmentally-friendly manner while creating favorable conditions for cooperatives to access science, technology, digital transformation, and government support policies to enhance their competitiveness.

Regarding growing area codes and market linkages, Nguyen Huu Long, Director of Long Phu Durian Cooperative in Long Ha Commune, said that his cooperative had obtained a growing area code and had successfully exported its products at stable prices. However, recently, some enterprises have purchased farm produce from unregistered sources rather than from certified growing areas, negatively affecting law-abiding producers.

“I propose that the authorities strengthen inspections and supervision of agricultural exports while supporting cooperatives in developing product labels and traceability systems to affirm product quality and protect the reputation of legitimate producers”, Long recommended.

Participants also suggested that the State should play its central role in orienting, coordinating and supervising linkage chains, from production to consumption, while investing in raw material production areas and resolving issues related to land use and production planning in order to increase the value of agricultural products and stabilize market outlets for farmers.

Authorities ready to stand alongside farmers

In response to the farmers' recommendations, representatives of relevant departments and agencies directly addressed and clarified many of the issues raised.

Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that regarding substandard agricultural materials, the department would continue coordinating with relevant agencies to strengthen interdisciplinary inspections, including both regular and surprise inspections of businesses trading in agricultural materials. In addition to relevant agencies’ oversight, she encouraged farmers to promptly report counterfeit or low-quality products so that authorities would have sufficient grounds to investigate and handle violations.

Regarding the development of linkage chains, Tuyet noted that nearly 500 agricultural production and consumption linkage chains have already been established across the city. However, many cooperatives have yet to establish connection with reputable enterprises. To address this issue, the agricultural sector will coordinate with local authorities to strengthen business-cooperative linkages while controlling input quality and production processes to ensure products meet domestic and export market requirements. At the same time, cooperatives are encouraged to learn from one another, expand organic production, and utilize locally available raw materials to reduce costs and increase product value.

“The relevant authorities will continue strengthening inspections of the management and use of growing area codes while encouraging cooperatives to develop product traceability label systems to improve transparency and protect their own brands”, Le Thi Anh Tuyet said.

Regarding access to loans, Nguyen Duc Lenh, Deputy Director of the State Bank of Vietnam, Region 2 Branch, said that the banking sector is implementing numerous preferential credit policies for agriculture and rural development. In Dong Nai, outstanding loans to the agricultural and rural development sector account for a significant share of total outstanding credit. The banking sector will continue working with local authorities to connect funding sources, provide consultation, remove obstacles, and facilitate farmers' and cooperatives' access to suitable credit policies to support production.

Nguyen Tuan Anh, Member of the Standing Board of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee, affirmed that the city government will continue promoting socialization by mobilizing all lawful non-budgetary resources, with businesses serving as the driving force for agricultural and rural development. At the same time, the city will vigorously promote science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation, while accelerating administrative reform and improving the investment and business environment to attract greater investment into the agricultural sector.

By To Tam - Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha