Directive No. 247/TTg on addressing the reduction in rice cultivation land area and high-value agricultural crop land due to the conversion of these lands for other purposes.

DIRECTIVE

ON REMEDYING THE SITUATION OF DECREASE IN THE AREA OF RICE FARMING LAND AND HIGH-VALUE AGRICULTURAL LAND DUE TO TRANSFERRING SUCH LANDS FOR OTHER USES

Rice is the main crop providing food for each Vietnamese household, and food is the primary need for human survival. Only by protecting and developing the area of rice farming land can we ensure sustainable food security to achieve national construction goals.

For many years, recognizing this importance, the State has invested hundreds of billions of dong to reclaim land, extend the sea, expand agricultural land, especially rice planting areas in regions with favorable conditions such as the Dong Thap Muoi and Tuc Xuyen quadrangle, etc. The people in many localities have made great efforts to implement intensive cultivation measures, increase rice yield, and increase grain production.

Since the Land Law was enacted, some localities have paid attention to directing and managing high-value agricultural land funds, particularly the area of irrigated rice fields, limiting the transfer of these land funds to other uses not in accordance with the law. On the other hand, along with reforms in management mechanisms and the application of scientific and technological progress in agriculture, this has contributed to stabilizing and developing grain production to meet domestic consumption needs and partially for export. However, generally speaking, up to now, many sectors and levels of local authorities have not fully recognized the task of protecting the agricultural land fund, especially rice planting land. The management of this land fund is increasingly being relaxed, with many agencies, organizations, households, and individuals arbitrarily transferring the area of rice planting land to other uses contrary to the law, such as for office premises, business establishments, housing, brick production, fruit trees, etc. While our population increases by over one million annually, natural disasters often occur, and food security is still not truly secure, yet we allow the reduction of tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land, mainly rice planting land, which our people have had to go through many generations and expend much effort to reclaim and establish. This is a very dangerous act that must be promptly prevented to ensure food and foodstuffs for our entire population now and for future generations.

In the process of economic and social development, structural economic transformation, gradual implementation of industrialization and urbanization in rural areas, the demand for land to construct projects and houses is increasing day by day. If there is no specific planning, clearly defining each type of land, and without strict guidance and management, it will be impossible to avoid reducing the area of high-value agricultural land, especially rice planting land, which our people have reclaimed and established through many generations and expended much effort.

The Prime Minister requests the Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, the Ministers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the Director-General of the General Department of Land Administration, the Heads of relevant Ministries and sectors, and the leaders of political, economic, and social organizations to immediately carry out the following tasks:

1/ Localities during the process of industrialization and urbanization must have specific planning aimed at maintaining and protecting the existing area of food crop planting land, especially irrigated rice fields. Along with measures to intensify cultivation and increase productivity, there must be specific policies and plans to encourage the expansion of irrigated rice field areas, such as reclamation, restoration, and improvement of low-yield single-crop rice fields into high-yield double or triple-crop fields, maintaining and building additional terraced fields in mountainous and midland areas to ensure the food needs of each locality and national food security.

Along with the above measures, for provinces with plains, especially those in the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta, first and foremost, they must fully exploit and utilize all types of rice planting land that have been transferred for basic construction purposes but have been wasted or not used, various types of agricultural land, and rice planting areas with low yields and unstable productivity (depleted soil color, acid-saline) to serve the needs of basic construction.

Based on this, each province and centrally-administered city must urgently complete its socio-economic planning, clearly and specifically determining long-term land use areas oriented towards industrialization and urbanization; each year, they must develop a land use plan for their locality consistent with the socio-economic development plan to minimize the transfer of agricultural land to other uses as mentioned above, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval. People's Committees of localities may only allocate or lease agricultural land for other uses within the authority stipulated in Articles 23, 24, and 25 of the Land Law. Any locality that does not develop a land use planning and plan for submission to the Prime Minister for approval shall not be allowed to transfer agricultural land to other uses.

The General Department of Land Administration is assigned to lead, together with relevant ministries and sectors such as the State Committee for Cooperation and Investment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the Ministry of Forestry, and the Ministry of Construction, to review the above plans, submit them to the Prime Minister for approval by August each year so that the Government can present them to the National Assembly at the end-of-year session.

The State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry are tasked with balancing food needs nationwide (for domestic consumption and for export), clearly defining the task of food production, the plan for using land for food crops, and implementing intensive cultivation measures and increasing productivity in the five-year and annual plans of each province and centrally-administered city.

Protecting the area of food crop planting land, especially irrigated rice fields, in each locality is the responsibility of the Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, and the Director-General of the General Department of Land Administration.

Annually, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Land Administration General Department must report to the Government on the changes in the area of irrigated rice fields in their respective localities as well as nationwide, along with the time for presenting the land use plan mentioned above.

2\. The restructuring of crop area structures in localities must be carefully calculated, with multiple plans compared to ensure the highest economic and social efficiency. Localities that need to restructure their crop structures, if it is truly necessary to convert some low-yield and inefficient irrigated rice areas to new structures that meet societal needs, thereby increasing income value, attracting additional labor, creating jobs, etc., should be thoroughly considered and balanced comprehensively in terms of both short-term and long-term benefits, with the participation of opinions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Land Administration General Department, but must follow approved planning and plans.

3\. To meet the demand for economic and social development, especially industrialization, urban development, infrastructure construction, ensuring housing area for residents, building joint ventures and cooperative investment projects with foreign countries, etc., when formulating planning, examining, and appraising investment construction projects, the People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities, relevant Ministries, and sectors need to carefully consider land use, directing towards hills, mountains, and extremely poor lands where rice cultivation is not effective. Architectural design and construction of buildings and houses also need to maximize height and space to minimize the use of irrigated rice land while still meeting the requirements for industrial development, vocational growth, enhancing social welfare, and responding to urbanization demands of the locality. In special cases, if it is necessary to use irrigated rice land with a water management system ensuring active irrigation and drainage with high and stable yields, detailed explanations must be provided and reported to the Prime Minister for approval before implementation.

4\. Entrust the People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to coordinate with relevant Ministries and functional sectors to organize inspections and immediately halt actions by organizations, households, and individuals who arbitrarily convert irrigated rice land to offices, business premises, residences, brick and tile production, and other construction purposes in any form; strictly handle violations, including criminal responsibility for serious breaches of the Land Law.

5\. Entrust the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to lead, together with the Ministry of Finance, the State Planning Commission, and the Land Administration General Department, to study policies to encourage rice growers, ensuring they have stable and sustainable income not lower than that of other crops. This proposal must be completed by June 30, 1995, to be submitted to the Prime Minister.

6\. Entrust the State Planning Commission, together with relevant Ministries and local sectors, to quickly complete the planning of concentrated economic zones, particularly industrial zones, focusing on infrastructure investment in transportation, electricity, water supply, and land leveling to transform poor agricultural lands into industrial zones and new residential areas, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for review and approval.

7\. Implementing the policy of protecting agricultural land, especially irrigated rice fields, during the process of industrialization and modernization, is a continuous and long-term responsibility of all levels, sectors, and the entire population. This policy must be openly publicized and promoted to the whole population for implementation and supervision. Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels and heads of Ministries and sectors are responsible for strictly organizing the implementation of this Directive.

8\. The Prime Minister entrusts the National Inspectorate, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, and the Director of the Land Administration General Department, within their functions and responsibilities, to organize inspections and audits of the implementation of this Directive, and to regularly report to the Prime Minister quarterly.

This Directive replaces Circular No. 1044/KTN dated March 3, 1995, issued by the Prime Minister.