VNFU Vice Chairwoman, Ms. Cao Xuan Thu Van chaired the Conference. The Conference was held offline at VNFU office and was connected online to 63 points of FUs at the provincial level.

The Conference aimed to evaluate the initial results of the implementation of Conclusion No. 454, which clarified difficulties and obstacles, especially in the legal basis and operating conditions of the centers, in terms of organizational structure, public asset management, and operating conditions of the centers, in order to find out solutions and effective implementation in the coming time.

In a brief report on the situation and activities of the Farmers Supporting Centers, Mr. Truong Xuan Quy, Director of the VNFU Farmers Supporting Center and Rural Development at the central level, said: Currently, in the whole country there is 01 center at the central level and 51 centers at the provincial level. Regarding the organizational structure, the basic employment positions of the centers have been approved under the Scheme of organization and personnel. There are 9 centers that have created job position structure. Currently, there are 22 centers that have been approved for financial autonomy plans, of which 3 centers can guarantee 100% of regular autonomy expenses. 

Until March 20, 2023, there have been 37 projects on investing in building and upgrading Vocational Training and Farmers Supporting Centers at the provincial level that have been approved for settlement to complete the projects, of which the VNFU at the central level has handed over assets to 32 FUs at the provincial level.

Every year, Centers and the FUs at all levels organize the science and technology transfer for thousands of members and farmers; support farmers to build models of cooperation and linkage in production linked with the value chain; and supply fertilizers, plant varieties, animal feeds, and farm tools to farmers.

Farmers Supporting Centers at the provincial level have many activities to advise and support farmers in various ways, such as: Coordinating with fertilizer production companies to supply thousands of tons of fertilizer annually in the form of deferred payment to members.

At the same time, Farmers Supporting Centers at the provincial level also provide thousands kinds of varieties of plants and animals for members; provide animal feeds and agricultural materials to help members develop efficient production models; organize many training courses on science and technology to improve the production level for farmers and build production models for economic development; and organize seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and fairs to connect and improve agricultural production and consumption activities.

At the Conference, the delegates listed difficulties and obstacles such as: The activities of the Centers are mainly spontaneous, which leads to the lack of linkage between the Centers at all levels in the VNFU system; and the role of the Farmers Supporting Centers at all levels is not clear, and there is no coordination mechanism.

In addition, because there are still limitations in the connection with businesses, the supply of input materials and the support in seeking markets for products are difficult. Many centers do not have stable sources of income, which greatly affects their operations. Support and loan giving activities face many difficulties, and the Supporting Fund for Farmers is not enough and has not met the needs of agricultural economy and rural development.

Facilities have not yet been transferred to many Centers. The offices of some Centers have not been invested in building, and many Centers have offices that have not been repaired or upgraded, which has led to degraded facilities. Many Centers have not yet had employment schemes and financial autonomy plans, which might have been developed but have not yet been approved.
After changing their name, many Centers no longer have vocational training function at the primary level, and the job and labor export consultancy activities face many difficulties due to regulations of governmental agencies.

There is an opinion that, currently, as there are many centers that do not have staff and officials of the Farmers' Union at the provincial level have to take the duties, many activities to support farmers are still unclear between departments and Centers, therefore the role has not been promoted.

Speaking at the Conference, Ms. Cao Xuan Thu Van, VNFU Vice Chairwoman, appreciated and praised the achievements of the Centers in recent years. In order to bring into full play the achieved results, the VNFU Vice Chairwoman suggested: In the coming time, the FUs Standing Committees at the provincial level will boldly participate in the implementation of socio-economic development programs and projects.

The Centers should continue to develop employment schemes, plans for financial autonomy and the use of public assets, and economic and technical norms in accordance with the law.

At the same time, she asked the Provincial Party Standing Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial Personnel and Organization  Department, the Provincial Mass Mobilization Department, and the relevant departments to pay attention and help the Provincial FU Standing Committee promote the efficiency of the Centers, which contributes to the implementation of Conclusion No. 61 of the Party Secretariat and Decision No. 673 of the Prime Minister.

The Centers need to review all the contents of supporting farmers and focus on loan support activities. At the same time, it is necessary to actively link with departments, organizations, enterprises, and cooperatives to build models, transfer science and technology, provide information, connect markets to consume agricultural products, support farmers, and foster knowledge for the staff.