Ho Chi Minh City targets increasing production value per hectare to VND900 million - 1 billion ($37,000 - $40,800) by 2030, Director of the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Dinh Minh Hiep has said.

“To that end, the use of high technology in agricultural production is a must,” he added.

Though the city’s agricultural land continues to shrink due to rapid urbanization, he went on, production value per hectare of farming land has increased over the years.

While farmers fetched VND375 million ($15,300) annually from one hectare in 2015, the figure rose to VND500 million ($20,400) in the 2015-2020 period.

“Local authorities have determined that high-tech agricultural production is the development orientation for the sector in the time to come,” Mr. Hiep said. “The city aims to have at least 70 per cent of agricultural land applying high technology.”

It will focus on developing modern science in agricultural production and the use of high-technology is necessary, he added.

Head of the Management Board of the Agricultural Hi-Tech Park (AHTP), Pham Dinh Dung, said the city has set a strategic vision for the field based on applying science and technology in both agricultural production and eco-tourism development.