New regulations on provincial agricultural extension centers

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The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued Circular No. 60/2025/TT-BNNMT dated October 14, 2025, guiding the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of public non-business units implementing agricultural extension work at the provincial and commune levels, which includes regulations on the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center.

Accordingly, agricultural extension is the activity of transferring advanced technologies, information, disseminating knowledge, and providing vocational training to farmers in the fields of agriculture , forestry, fisheries, and salt production, aiming to improve the capacity and efficiency of agricultural production and business, protect the environment, and build new rural areas.

Public service units implementing agricultural extension work at the provincial and commune levels include: Provincial Agricultural Extension Centers; and public service units under the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones assigned to carry out agricultural extension tasks.

Provincial Agricultural Extension Center

Article 2 of Circular 60/2025/TT-BNNMT stipulates the position and functions of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center as follows:

The Provincial Agricultural Extension Center is a public service unit serving state management under the Department of Agriculture and Environment. Its function is to organize and implement agricultural extension activities at the provincial level and to guide, coordinate, supervise, inspect, and support communes in carrying out agricultural extension work in accordance with the law.

Provincial-level agricultural extension centers have legal personality, their own seal, and are authorized to open bank accounts in accordance with regulations.

The operating budget of the provincial-level Agricultural Extension Center is implemented in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Duties and powers of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center

The provincial-level Agricultural Extension Center has the following duties and powers:

- Propose the development of legal documents, policy mechanisms, and economic and technical standards for agricultural extension.

- Develop programs, projects, plans, and tasks for local agricultural extension and organize their implementation after approval.

- Guiding, coordinating, supervising, and supporting agricultural extension work at the commune level, agricultural extension collaborators, and community agricultural extension services.

- Develop programs, materials, and organize training, workshops, information dissemination, forums, seminars, conferences, competitions, fairs, exhibitions, visits, and capacity-building learning for commune-level agricultural extension workers, agricultural extension collaborators, community agricultural extension workers, farmers, and producers.

- Develop demonstration models applying technical and technological advancements in agricultural production, tailored to each locality and the industry's development orientation; transfer technical and technological advancements from model production examples to a wider area; guide and support the construction and development of standardized raw material areas.

- To organize and provide public service products and services using state budget funds for agricultural extension in accordance with the law.

- Providing consulting services, international cooperation, and public-private partnerships in agricultural extension activities in accordance with the law.

- Coordinate the implementation of management, inspection, preliminary review, final review, and evaluation of the effectiveness of agricultural extension activities throughout the province.

- Participating in scientific and technological research, innovation and digital transformation, disaster and epidemic prevention and mitigation, and implementing programs and projects for agricultural and rural development and environmental protection in the locality.

- Perform other duties as prescribed by law and assigned by the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Organizational structure of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center

The organizational structure of a provincial-level agricultural extension center includes specialized departments, professional units, and equivalent specialized technical organizations serving agricultural extension work.

Based on operational requirements, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for submitting to the Provincial People's Committee regulations on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Agricultural Extension Center in accordance with the law and the specific conditions of each locality.

Regarding implementation, Article 4 of Circular 60/2025/TT-BNNMT stipulates as follows:

The Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for advising competent authorities on: consolidating public service units implementing agricultural extension work at the provincial and commune levels; assigning and arranging agricultural extension staff to ensure job requirements are met and are appropriate to the specific conditions of each locality; promulgating mechanisms and policies on agricultural extension activities, remuneration for agricultural extension collaborators and community agricultural extension workers; and regulations on coordinating the implementation of agricultural extension work at the provincial level according to assigned responsibilities.

Provincial agricultural extension centers: Provide professional and technical guidance and coordinate with commune-level People's Committees in managing and implementing agricultural extension tasks in the area.

Organize training and capacity building programs for commune-level agricultural extension workers, agricultural extension collaborators, and community agricultural extension officers.

Circular No. 60/2025/TT-BNNMT, regulating public agricultural extension units at the provincial and commune levels, takes effect from October 15, 2025.