Sustainable agricultural development

INNOVATING THE DIRECTION

From different perspectives of understanding and perception, many smallholders in Loc Ninh district have independently determined suitable directions that yield effective results. This requires the farmers to be thoughtful and be perceptive. To obtain crop variety suitable for arid land conditions in Loc Thanh border commune, in 2014, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi went to Cambodia to find and bring back acacia mango variety for planting. This mango variety is easy to grow, drought-resistant and does not cost much to care for. In 2019, Chi encouraged some households in the area to establish Tan Loc Thanh Fruit Tree Cooperative to develop acacia mangoes. Up to now, the cooperative has 21 members with an area of 38 hectares, while Chi's family alone has more than 15 hectares. With this area, each year Tan Loc Thanh Fruit Tree Cooperative supplies to the market nearly 200 tons of fruit, selling at between 7,000 and 12,000 VND per kg, bringing a stable source of income to members.

Chi shared: "In the locality where the land is arid and there is a serious shortage of water in the sunny season, developing the family economy requires us to consider finding suitable crops. After a period of research and exploration, I found that acacia mango trees are the most suitable for growing. The effectiveness has been proven in recent years."

Due to the family's economic hardships, after nearly 10 years of raising cows, Tran Van Canh in Hamlet 8, Loc Thai commune can only maintain a herd of 4 cows. In 2021, after receiving a loan of 100 million VND from the district Farmers’ Support Fund, Canh did not raise breeding cows as before but switched to raising fattening cows. With the borrowed capital, Canh bought 12 thin, sick cows that were large in size to take care of them. Only 3 months later, he sold the first batch and earned a profit of 36 million VND after deducting costs. After 1 year, he maintains a stable herd of 20-25 cows.

Canh shared: "If I raised cattle for reproduction under my family conditions, I wouldn’t be able to raise much and the risk would be very high. Raising the cattle for fattening, although the profit is not high, allows me to sell a batch after caring for the cattle every three months and continue the way like that consistently. I maintain a stable herd of more than 20 cows, earning a profit of 12 million VND/head each year, but the work is also easier and more sustainable."

PROMOTING THE LOCAL ADVANTAGES

Loc Ninh is a locality with many favorable conditions for agricultural development, with nearly 8,700 hectares of annual crop land. To promote agricultural development, the district has always focused on investing in infrastructure, especially irrigation infrastructure. Currently, the whole district has 17 irrigation works which ensures water supply for the production of more than 4,500 hectares of crops of all kinds. This includes a consistent water supply for irrigation over more than 3,500 hectares of rice cultivated in 2-3 crops per year, with an average yield of over 3.5 tons per hectare. In addition, Loc Ninh has more than 2,100 hectares of fruit trees. On that basis, over the past time, the smallholders, cooperative groups, and cooperatives in the district have focused on promoting the development of crops and livestock suitable for local conditions. Currently, the whole district has 40 cooperatives and 39 cooperative groups in operation, serving production and business in the field of agriculture.

Nguyen Hong Phuoc, Director of Loc Quang Clean Rice Cooperative shared: " For crops in general, people leverage local advantages to develop them in a way that yields the highest efficiency. Particularly for wet rice plants, there are many advantages from soil to water sources, ensuring 2-3 crops/year. In addition, we fully carry out the mechanization from soil preparation, planting to harvesting the crops. On that basis, we have built the Loc Quang clean rice brand."

In addition to encouraging farmers to expand production, and improve the productivity and quality of their products, the district's functional sectors are interested in supporting farmers to access preferential capital. Loc Ninh district has built its Farmers’ Support Fund with a total capital of more than 11 billion VND, disbursed to 370 members and farmers to develop production and business. In addition, associations at all levels also coordinate with the district Bank for Social Policies to disburse entrusted capital. Up to now, more than 4,000 members and farmers have received loans with a total outstanding loan of more than 158 billion VND. That support has promptly helped the members and farmers strengthen their capacity to expand production development and improve product quality.

BUILDING THE BRAND

A stable consumption market is a very important factor for farmers' production activities. Therefore, for a product to have a foothold in the market, branding is required. Therefore, over the past time, the smallholders, cooperative groups, cooperatives, and all levels and branches of Loc Ninh district have always been interested in building their product brands. Up to now, Loc Ninh district has 29 OCOP products recognized as meeting 3-4 star standards with many branded products on the market such as: organic pepper, rice, cashew nuts, grapefruit, mangosteen, etc.

Pham Thanh Chung, Director of Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative shared: "For any industry or field, branding plays a very important role which not only helps farmers improve the product value chain but is also a decisive factor for success. Establishing a brand requires time for consumers and the consumption market to validate the products. On the contrary, to build a brand, it is necessary to organize production well, ensuring that the production techniques and processes are up to standards...".

For the farmers' products to "fly high" in the market, the district's functional sectors also create conditions and support OCOP entities to promote and consume their products; supporting consumers to access, experience, and use OCOP products such as: organizing product display and introduction; participating in fairs and exhibitions to introduce and promote OCOP products... This lays the foundation for Loc Ninh district to promote production development, and improve the value chain of products, and the value of crops and livestock for local farmers and businesses.

According to Radio-Television and Binh Phuoc Newspaper
Link: https://en.baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/3/7905/sustainable-agricultural-development