Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the agricultural sector to strive for growth of 3.5-4 per cent in 2024 in an address at a conference held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on January 3 to review the sector’s operations in 2023 and launch tasks in 2024.

Export revenue for agriculture, forestry and fishery products is expected to reach $55 billion, the Prime Minister said.

The sector should also promote innovation, speed up digital and green transformation, and boost the development of the circular economy, the knowledge economy, and the sharing economy, he said.

MARD was instructed to promote the restructuring of agricultural production based on main groups of products, fields, and regions, while seeking appropriate and effective production models in connection with digital transformation and the digital economy.

The Prime Minister also asked the ministry to effectively forecast supply and demand, regularly update information on the market, and promote links between producers and consumers as well as tap opportunities from free trade agreements to restructure the export market.

Measures are also needed to boost the development of the sea-based economy and resolutely implement recommendations from the European Commission (EC) to have its “yellow card” against Vietnamese seafood exports removed.

The sector posted record GDP growth of 3.83 per cent in 2023, with export turnover of over $53 billion, figures from MARD show.