Don't let policy hinder innovation
On May 10, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment coordinated with the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province to organize a conference to deploy the "Plan to implement Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW" on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation in the fields of agriculture and environment.
Overview of the conference to deploy the 'Plan for implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo'. Photo: Tung Dinh
Minister Do Duc Duy emphasized that the industry is facing many challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion and pressure from green development, making traditional production models no longer suitable. To adapt, the industry needs to innovate its thinking, focusing on science and technology and digital transformation, in order to improve productivity, product quality and protect the environment.
In recent times, the industry has made many achievements in applying high technologies, such as smart agriculture models, automated livestock farming or automatic monitoring systems for the environment and digital data on land, forests and meteorology. In particular, gene editing technology, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, opens up breakthrough opportunities in plant breeding, especially in retaining valuable characteristics of native varieties while improving productivity, pest resistance and adaptation to climate change. However, barriers in the legal framework still exist, and it is unclear how to distinguish between gene-edited and genetically modified plants, making it difficult for scientists, businesses and managers to bring products to market.
In terms of the environment, experts all agreed that it is necessary to focus on improving the efficiency of pollution treatment, recovering useful substances from sludge, and promoting “green and smart” technologies, such as modern filters, AI, IoT for monitoring and reuse. Minister Do Duc Duy proposed focusing on perfecting institutions and policies, promoting administrative procedure reform to remove bottlenecks, and promoting innovation in both the public and private sectors. In addition, it is necessary to reorganize research units more appropriately, innovate the way of ordering scientific tasks in line with reality, and at the same time improve high-quality, skilled human resources and have the ability to attract domestic and foreign experts to ensure the comprehensive progress of the industry.