VietNamNet Bridge - While many countries in the world have reduced the cultivation of Jasmine rice, because it is difficult to grow and sell, the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has decided that Jasmine will be the national rice brand for Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts doubt that Vietnam can create a national rice brand, saying that this would be impossible when more than 90 percent of rice total output is sold to small merchants before exported.

VietNamNet Bridge - Authorities have discovered toxic chemical residue, but solutions to treat them have not been found.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will conduct regular inspections and deal strictly with the use of banned substances in animal husbandry, officials said.

The HCM City administration yesterday reviewed the progress made in the five years since implementation of the Government's New Rural Area Programme began.

VietNamNet Bridge - Current factors, including the global recession, Chinese yuan devaluation and global oversupply, do not support Vietnamese farm exports, experts say.

VietNamNet Bridge - A steel manufacturer invests in an animal feed production project, a real estate firm farms cows, a securities company produces rice, and a retailer grows vegetables.

VietNamNet Bridge - The sun was hot, but it was still foggy in the Me Linh flower village in Hanoi. The strong smell from the flower fields came from the pesticide the farmers had just sprayed.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s agriculture forestry and aquatics industries generate annual revenues of US$30 billion and should have attracted investment like a magnet— but a slew of obstacles make it a tough sell for foreigners.

VietNamNet Bridge - While the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) says the cell alive system (CAS), a farm produce preservation technology, is suitable to Vietnam, farmers and exporters remain undecided.

VietNamNet Bridge - Animal feed importers complain that they have to pay tens of billions of dong every year for container storage fees.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has found the “keys” to many large markets in the world and is expected to export high-quality farm produce in upcoming years.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved the sale of sua trees grown by local residents, but Hanoi People’s Committee says that city authorities have the right to decide what to do with the precious wood.

VietNamNet Bridge - The strong-dong exchange rate policy has dealt a blow to farm-produce exporters and agricultural businesses.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese rice exporters have lowered selling prices, but are still finding it difficult to obtain export contracts.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has given a series of upcoming large-scale agricultural projects a major boost.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Lack of co-operation at ministry level is hindering the implementation of last year's Law on Environment Protection.

Concentrated animal feed operations (CAFO) are better equipped than household-run livestock farms, but many of them lack waste management systems, causing serious pollution in rural areas.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development divested more than VND1,500 billion (US$70.58 million) from 72 agricultural enterprises by the end of 2014, baotintuc.vn reported on January 8.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested the government to delay implementing Decree 36/2014/ND-CP on pangasius farming, processing and exporting for the domestic tra fish industry.