Agriculture and environment sector drives growth through institutional reform and technology

During the first six months of 2026, the agriculture and environment sector was among the few sectors to meet or exceed most of its assigned targets. It also performed particularly well in urgent areas, including amendments to the Land Law and adjustments to land-use planning. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung made the assessment at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's recently held six-month review conference.

High-tech application in agricultural processing at an enterprise in Ho Nai Ward.

Dong Nai City's Agriculture and Environment sector has made a significant contribution to these national achievements, reaffirming its commitment to fulfilling targets under the city's special 500-day-and-night emulation campaign themed “Solidarity – Discipline – Efficiency – Breakthrough, building a civilized and modern Dong Nai.”

Strong growth despite challenges

Presenting the ministry's six-month report, Deputy Minister Dang Ngoc Diep said the sector faced unprecedented challenges in early 2026. Prolonged geopolitical tensions in the Middle East affected global trade, supply chains, energy prices and export markets, while Vietnam's ambitious economic growth targets required more flexible and responsive governance. In response, the ministry accelerated institutional reform, identifying it as a key driver of sustainable growth.

Following its merger, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has taken on a significantly broader mandate, overseeing 17 major fields, including cultivation, livestock husbandry, aquaculture, seas and islands, environment, land, minerals, climate change, and natural disaster prevention and control. Regarding administrative procedure reform, 20 of the 34 provinces and cities have restructured their procedures for handling land-related administrative matters by making maximum use of land databases and the National Population Database. The proportion of land-related administrative procedures restructured reached 46.9%. More than 2.85 million applications were received electronically, of which 94.4% were processed entirely online. Thanks to these coordinated measures, the sector's GDP growth reached approximately 3.8%, exceeding the target. The sector is aiming for a minimum growth rate of 4% for the whole of 2026.

The Dong Nai City agriculture and environment sector recorded a growth rate of 4.86% in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, significantly higher than the national average.

Notably, the city’s agriculture and environment sector has taken the lead in administrative reform and in improving management capacity and effectiveness. During the first six months of 2026, the city's administrative procedure processing system received and handled more than 277,600 land-related applications, with 99.86% processed on or ahead of schedule. This result was attributable to the city AE sector's determined implementation efforts, its emphasis on the role of agency heads, and the increased accountability of officials and Party members in performing their duties.

As one of the country's largest hubs for major infrastructure and industrial projects, Dong Nai also faces increasing demand for construction materials. Based on the registered demands of developers and project management boards, as well as the actual supply capabilities of mineral mining enterprises, the City Department of Agriculture and Environment coordinated a review of mining capacities and supply availability for each mining site. The department held working sessions and exchanges with mining units, construction contractors, and relevant agencies to bridge the supply-demand gap in construction materials and remove implementation bottlenecks. Consequently, it advised the City People's Committee on policies to support and coordinate the sourcing of construction materials for key projects within the city and the wider Southern region. It also advised developing a master plan to balance the supply and demand of leveling materials, stone, and other essential construction materials for key projects through 2030.

Technology as a new growth engine

Alongside institutional reform, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment considers science, technology and digital transformation to be the foundation of future sector management. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Dang Ngoc Diep stressed that as opportunities for extensive growth become increasingly limited, future development will depend on institutional reform, higher-quality governance, and broader adoption of advanced technologies, thereby creating a more favorable environment for businesses and citizens alike. During the second half of 2026, the ministry plans to accelerate digital infrastructure development, expand sectoral databases, promote strategic technologies and strengthen export markets.

In line with these priorities, Dong Nai’s agriculture and environment sector has set ambitious digital transformation targets. The city aims for 100% of administrative procedures under its authority to be received and processed electronically. It also targets 100% digital processing of city-level administrative applications and at least 90% at the commune level, while reducing processing times for eligible administrative procedures by at least 30%.

Closely following this orientation, Dong Nai City’s agriculture and environment sector identifies high-tech agricultural development as a vital element in driving breakthroughs in agricultural production in the period ahead. Dong Nai City possesses numerous advantages in attracting investment in high-tech agriculture.

According to Nguyen Thi Hoang, Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee, the city launched several major projects during the first half of 2026. Among them is the High-Tech Livestock Farming and Agricultural Processing Project in Thuan Loi Commune. Covering 1,500 hectares and estimated at an investment of VND30.5 trillion, the project is designed to become one of the country's largest high-tech agricultural zones. It will integrate livestock farming, crop cultivation and agricultural processing into a closed value chain while applying advanced technologies, automation and digital management systems for production, disease control and product traceability.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho