Ministry wants to limit pepper area at 50,000 hectares by 2020; Multibillion-dollar property project in southern VN urged to speed up; VND30-trillion home credit package to benefit more people; Luxury hotels report strong profit rise

 VietNamNet Bridge – It is early summer and not yet the harvest season for apples in Europe, but the shelves of all supermarkets and even restaurants in Warsaw were stacked with the fruit.

Vietnamese information technology (IT) firms are aiming for higher profits by focusing on a new sector, agricultural production.

Vietnam woos foreign agricultural investors; Firms seek Gov’t aid to reduce reliance on China materials; Pepper exports red-hot this year; Government moves to top up foreign reserves

 Global carbon emissions from agriculture can be reduced by 50 to 90 percent by 2030 using strategies including eating less beef, reducing food waste and managing soil nutrients better,

Vietnam runs up trade deficit in March; Lao company markets coffee in Vietnam; Japan steps up inspection of shrimp imports; Another Amway factory shaping up in Binh Duong; Vietnam bond issues grow fastest in East Asia

 Underground commercial center awaits investors; Government-backed loans still rise despite restrictions; SOE equitisation to quicken; Shipbuilding industry sees 25-30 pct growth annually

VietNamNet Bridge – Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh has confirmed to Nong thon Ngay nay newspaper that the Government and donors will provide more official development assistance (ODA) loans to the agriculture sector.

Plant protection chemicals have been killing the agriculture production, while industrial gains have been paid by the polluted land, water, air and human diseases.

Vietnam, well known with the thousands-of-years wet rice civilization, has been developing its agriculture for the last many generations. However, experts believe that the opportunities for the investment in agriculture only come in 2013.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Japan will boost cooperation in agriculture, human resource training, technical assistance and science and technology with Vietnam, Ambassador Hiroshi Fukada has said.

Four people in the northern Quang Ninh Province were reported to have died between December 2-4 after drinking alcohol made from sticky rice.

VietNamNet Bridge – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat was in the hot seat over the sector's poor management during a three-day Q&A session between National Assembly deputies and the Government cabinet

 Ornamental fish make profit splash; Car makers take early imports turn; Rubber exports hit $1.68b in first 9 months of 2013; Agro-forestry-fishery exports outstrip $20b mark

 VietNamNet Bridge – If Vietnam expands its maize and soybean growing area, this would benefit farmers, who can be sure they can sell products, and animal feed enterprises which don’t have to import materials any more.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Numerous problems have been hindering scientists to conduct the research works on agriculture machinery to help develop the domestic agriculture production.

The problems of Vietnamese farmers have repeated every year and they have not been solved. The biggest one is the “refrain” of having good crop – the prices for agricultural products, particularly rice, fall sharply.

It is estimated that 60-65 percent of the nitrogen fertilizer has not been absorbed by plants. Millions of tons of waste from livestock farms and 90 percent of solid waste has been discharged to the rural environment every year without treatment.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of enterprises that ceased operations rose by 12.3 per cent in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

 Vietnam’s inflation beats all regional nations; SOEs reform is too slow; Farmers shy away from shrimp farming despite good price; Firm hand on asset tiller buoys market; State Audit reports on SBV performance in 2011