VOV.VN - General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has expressed hope that the Vietnamese peasantry will continue to grow and become a true stakeholder and the centre of the process of developing agriculture, the rural economy, and building new rural areas.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong gave a speech at the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU)’s 8th National Congress for the 2023 to 2028 tenure which opened on December 26 in Hanoi.

​This represents an important political event for the Vietnamese peasantry and for VFU officials and members.

Those in attendance included nearly 1,000 official delegates, all of whom are outstanding officials and farmer members representing the will, aspirations, and wisdom of more than 10 million VFU members and farmers throughout the nation.

During the past term, the VFU at all levels admitted more than 1.5 million new members, established more than 2,500 new professional farmers' chapters, and nearly 14,000 new professional farmers' associations, thereby bringing the total number of members, professional farmers' chapters, and professional farmers' Associations nationwide up to 10.2 million people and nearly 3,200 Professional Farmers' Associations, respectively.

Speaking at the Congress, General Secretary Trong praised the efforts of the Vietnamese peasantry and farmers' associations nationwide during the past term.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the congress

“Throughout the nation's history as well as the process of national construction, development and innovation, Vietnamese farmers have always been the largest force and have made great contributions to the cause of agricultural development, rural construction, bringing our country from food shortage to meeting domestic needs and becoming one of the world's leading exporters of rice, seafood and a number of other agricultural products, firmly ensuring national food security,” the Party Chief emphazised.

He went on to say that the Party and State greatly values farmers’ considerable contributions to the national construction and reform, the building of new-style rural areas, and the development of agriculture and rural economy into a pillar supporting the national economy.

However, he also pointed out that the VFU’s activities and farmers’ movement has yet to keep abreast with the rapid development of a digital society and the extensive international integration process.

Amid the trend of ecological agriculture, farmers need to change their mindset and actions in order to become a true stakeholder and the centre of the development of agriculture and rural economy, as well as the building of a new-style countryside.

As farmers are falling and aging while redundant workers in urban areas and industrial parks are moving to rural areas to seek agricultural livelihoods, VFU chapters at all levels need to reform their working methodology to be capable of fulfilling tasks and assisting farmers over the next five years and beyond to build a strong peasant class This will be done whilst joining combined efforts to establish Vietnam as a country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030 and as a developed and high-income nation by 2045, he stated.

The Vietnamese Party chief asked all-level VFU chapters to go ahead with reforming their working methodology, quality, and effectiveness, as well as properly brining into play its central role in farmers’ movement and acting as a bridge linking farmers with the Party and State.

He also asked the VFU to serve as an active factor of the great national solidarity bloc and the “workers - farmers - intellectuals” alliance, actively integrate into the world, and promote the effectiveness of international co-operation and people-to-people diplomacy.

Furthermore, the leader ordered all-level Party committees, administrations, Vietnam Fatherland Front committees, and socio-political organisations to offer more optimal  conditions for VFU chapters at all levels to operate. He also requested them to properly carry out the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws relating to agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

General Secretary Trong expressed his belief that after the congress, the VFU’s activities and farmers’ movement will make stronger progress in a bid to help successfully implement the resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress and the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee to build on revolutionary achievements, as well as developing a prosperous, happy strong, democratic, equal, and civilized nation with rich people.