On the afternoon of April 4, in Buon Ma Thuot, the Central Economic Commission, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee, organized the Seminar on "Developing green and sustainable agriculture and forestry economy in the Central Highlands region associated with forest management, protection and development”.

Mr. Tran Tuan Anh - Politburo member, Head of the Central Economic Commission;  Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Dak Lak; Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung - Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commission; Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development co-chaired the workshop.

The seminar.

Attending the seminar were leaders of ministries, branches and central agencies; leaders of 5 provinces of the Central Highlands, business associations, economic experts, scientists, and related business representatives.

The Central Highlands has a total forest area of 2.57 million hectares, accounting for 17.5% of the country's forest area. The rate of forest cover in the whole Central Highlands region reaches 45.94%, becoming a large-scale production area for a number of key agricultural products, accounting for a high proportion of industrial crops and fruit trees. Central Highlands forests have an important position in terms of political security, ecological environment, biodiversity and water source protection, climate regulation for the region.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee speaking at the workshop.

Over the past time, our Party and State have had many guidelines and policies to manage, protect and develop forest coverage. In 2017, the Central Secretariat issued Directive No. 13-CT/TW on "Strengthening the Party's leadership in forest management, protection and development". In addition, the Central Government has also issued many resolutions on socio-economic development and ensuring national security and defense of regions across the country, which focuses on forest management, protection and development.

Mr. Pham S - Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee speaking at the event.

The seminar is aimed to assess the current situation, exchange goals, tasks, solutions for forest management, protection and development, especially breakthrough tasks and solutions to create motivation for sustainable development of forest in the coming period, serving the preliminary tasks of the 5-year implementation of Directive 13; discuss the tasks and solutions in developing a green and sustainable agricultural and forestry economy in the Central Highlands in the new context, serving the implementation of the Resolution of the 13^th Party Congress and Resolution No. 23 -NQ/TW, dated October 6, 2022 of the Politburo on the directions of socio-economic development and assurance of defense and security in the Central Highlands until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Y Bier Nie speaking at the seminar.

At the Seminar, the delegates focused on discussing key issues such as: current land policies and laws on management and use of forest land and orientations for amendment and supplementation; analyzing and evaluating a number of mechanisms and policies to create motivation to promote and improve the efficiency of forest management, protection and development such as payment for forest environmental services and solutions for sustainable development of forest environment in the coming time; perfecting mechanisms and policies for the carbon credit market in Vietnam; specific and feasible tasks and solutions in ensuring the security of people in forested areas, especially ensuring the livelihoods of local ethnic minorities in the spirit of Resolution No. 23 of the Politburo and Directive 13 of the Secretariat.

Mr. Tran Tuan Anh - Politburo member, Head of the Central Economic Commission delivering a speech.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Tran Tuan Anh - Politburo member, Head of the Central Economic Commission emphasized that rapid and sustainable development of the Central Highlands is a major policy of the Party and State and a cross-cutting task that has important implications for the development of localities in the region and the whole country. However, the management, protection and development of forests in this area still faces many difficulties, hindering the green and sustainable agricultural and forestry economic development in the Central Highlands.

In the coming time, all levels, branches and localities need to develop advantageous, large-scale, high-quality agricultural and forestry products for large export; renovate the methods of agricultural production to a large-scale organic, ecological and highly efficient agricultural economy; improve the quality of natural forests, restore natural forests with appropriate solutions; make the circular economy become one of the basic contents in the planning of the Central Highlands provinces.

Mr. Tran Tuan Anh suggested relevant units to synthesize and absorb as much as possible the contents presented and contributed ideas at the seminar to serve the preliminary tasks of Directive 13 and make recommendations and proposals to the Politburo and the Secretariat on the views, goals, tasks and solutions to develop a green and sustainable agricultural and forestry economy in the Central Highlands and the management, protection and development of forests in the future.