Minister of Natural Resources and Environment 'listens to farmers', unlocking land resources.

At the forum "Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers' Association - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment listens to farmers," held on November 24th in Hanoi, many opinions, suggestions, and aspirations of the people were submitted, hoping to have their questions answered regarding legal regulations on environmental protection in agriculture and rural areas, policies aimed at resolving difficulties and obstacles in handling household waste, agricultural waste, and the environment of craft villages; and the provision of clean water and wastewater treatment in rural areas.

Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers' Association Luong Quoc Doan and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy presided over the Forum "Listening to Farmers Speak".

Supporting businesses and cooperatives in investing in technology for treating agricultural waste.

Regarding the question from delegate Vo Quan Huy about policies to support businesses and cooperatives in investing in technology and capital for waste and garbage treatment in agricultural production... to ensure they meet the criteria for exporting products.

Minister Do Duc Duy delivered a speech at the forum.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy affirmed that, regarding this issue, the 2020 Environmental Protection Law already contains provisions, and Government Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP detailing some articles of the Environmental Protection Law also includes regulations on this matter.

However, according to Minister Do Duc Duy, through research and practical experience, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has found that the above regulations are not truly comprehensive or suitable to reality. Therefore, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has coordinated with relevant ministries and the State Bank of Vietnam to propose to the Government the addition of regulations and policy mechanisms related to two issues.

Firstly, regarding the responsibility of manufacturers and businesses for fertilizer and pesticide packaging, manufacturers and importers are responsible for managing their product packaging when it is discarded into the environment.

Secondly, it relates to policy mechanisms supporting green production and green credit. Accordingly, businesses and cooperatives implementing environmental protection and green production projects will benefit from green credit and green production mechanisms, and access to these policies will facilitate their export to international markets.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy.

According to Minister Do Duc Duy, regarding the second point, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will research and continue to support businesses and cooperatives with policy mechanisms to facilitate easier access. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment hopes to amend the limitations and shortcomings in Decree 08/2022/ND-CP in 2025, thereby fundamentally resolving environmental issues in agricultural and forestry production, creating conditions for Vietnam's agricultural and forestry production to enter the global market, especially demanding markets such as the United States and the EU.

The collection and treatment of household solid waste are regulated by law.

Responding to a question from delegate Nguyen Manh Hieu, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Phu Yen commune, Phu Xuyen district - one of the 10 outstanding young faces of Hanoi in 2023, Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, Director of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), said that regarding emissions from craft villages, the 2020 Environmental Protection Law stipulates that businesses providing services and production and business establishments must treat their emissions.

According to Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, there are still limitations in waste treatment in craft villages. Currently, we have over 2,000 craft villages generating a lot of waste, including traditional craft villages.

According to the Environmental Protection Law, local authorities encourage people engaged in handicraft businesses to develop and invest in waste treatment.

For villages specializing in food additives that are considered to be potentially polluting, investment in waste treatment is necessary. If recycling technology is available, the waste should be treated or transferred to another unit for processing.

Currently, localities have policies in place to relocate individual business owners to industrial zones for processing. This policy has been implemented very effectively and has successfully addressed environmental issues.

Responding to a question from Mr. Vo Quan Huy, Director of Huy Long An Co., Ltd. (Duc Hue district, Long An province), an outstanding Vietnamese farmer who owns 1,000 hectares of land for growing bananas for export, Mr. Hoang Van Thuc stated that the collection and treatment of solid household waste is currently regulated in the 2020 Environmental Protection Law and can be divided into groups of recyclable waste, organic waste, and other categories.

In rural and remote areas lacking proper waste collection facilities, the government will provide guidance on collecting and recycling organic waste at home. For urban areas, the focus should be on centralized collection and sorting; areas with designated collection points will guide families on immediate collection, sorting, and processing.

Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, Director of the Environmental Pollution Control Department (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), answered questions at the Forum.

According to Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, in recent times, during rice harvest seasons, farmers in various provinces often burn rice straw, causing environmental pollution. The Environmental Pollution Control Department has coordinated with local authorities to research and develop plans for collecting and processing it into a resource for the production of other products, which has proven very effective. Regarding rubber trees, many facilities have already collected and processed the straw effectively.

In particular, many provinces now have very effective solid waste treatment models. For example, Hai Phong has a very good technology for treating solid waste such as tree branches, which should be replicated in other localities.

(Source: Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bo-truong-tn-mt-lang-nghe-nong-dan-noi-khoi-thong-nguon-luc-dat-dai-ar909308.html