During the quarterly and nine-month economic statistics press conference held on October 6, 2024, Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General of the General Statistics Office, reported significant challenges in the agricultural sector.

Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries now account for only 11.6% of the economic structure for the first nine months of the year, marking a substantial decline.

The total economic growth for the nine-month period reached 6.82%, with the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector growing by just 3.2%. This represents the lowest growth in the past four years for the sector.

The primary cause, as stated by Director General Huong, was the extensive damage inflicted by Typhoon Yagi and prolonged heavy rains across most of Northern Vietnam, adversely affecting crops, livestock, and aquaculture.

Despite these challenges, Director General Huong emphasized that "agricultural production for the first nine months of 2024 still maintained growth to meet domestic consumption and export demands."

Dau Ngoc Hung, Head of the Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries Statistics, highlighted the extent of the damage: approximately 350,000 hectares of rice and other crops were impacted, with 75,000 hectares of seasonal rice suffering over 70% damage (effectively a total loss); about 44,000 livestock and 5.8 million poultry perished; and significant damage occurred to 36,000 hectares and 11,100 cages of aquaculture.

Specifically, the growth in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector for Q3 in various provinces showed significant declines, with Son La, Bac Giang, and Thai Nguyen among the most affected.

Overall, the impact of Typhoon Yagi has not only affected the Q3 production results but also threatens the upcoming Q4 harvests, necessitating substantial recovery efforts and investment in damaged production infrastructure.

Hung suggested continued support for affected communities, including the provision of essential goods, production materials, and tax relief measures for damaged agricultural enterprises.

Additionally, financial policies such as debt rescheduling and reduced interest rates for loans should be considered to facilitate recovery and reinvestment in production.

For livestock and aquaculture, it is crucial to provide support for feed, breeding stock, veterinary medicines, and environmental remediation products, while also controlling disease outbreaks to stabilize and boost production in unaffected areas.

Binh Minh