Statistics from the ministry show that about 9 percent have qualified from university and 39.4 percent passed vocational training courses from a total of 60.7 million workers in the fields of forestry and agriculture.

Currently, the country has more than 1.6 million students, but only 4.5 percent of them studying in forestry, agriculture and aquaculture.

To meet the demand for highly-qualified manpower in these fields, MARD’s strategy on forestry development in 2006-20 calculates Vietnam needs to train 5,000 students every year and retrain key field personnel.

In doing so, the ministry is waiting for government approval of its proposal to exempt tuition fees of VND2.1-2.4 million (US$110-126) per year for students in forestry and agriculture majors.

Scholarships will also be available for excellent students to support them with their daily living costs.