Farmers in Son La are harvesting coffee.

The right policy, implemented decisively.

Ten years ago, Son La province made a strong impression when it issued Conclusion Notice No. 121-TB/TU on the policy of planting fruit trees on sloping land, a decision considered "correct, effective, and timely." The conversion of inefficient corn and cassava cultivation areas to fruit tree cultivation not only protected the land and reduced erosion but also opened a sustainable path out of poverty for tens of thousands of farming households. Immediately after adopting the policy of developing fruit tree cultivation on sloping land, Son La province determined that it was necessary to establish agricultural cooperatives to consolidate production forces, accumulate land on a large scale, and build concentrated production areas. The province issued mechanisms and policies to encourage and mobilize people to participate in building cooperative alliances.

During the period 2016-2025, the area of ​​fruit trees and hawthorn trees in Son La province reached over 85,000 hectares; the estimated production in 2025 is 510,000 tons, a 30% increase compared to 2021. Many concentrated production areas have been formed; cooperatives have become the "linking nucleus," connecting farmers with businesses and markets. From just a few small cooperatives, Son La now has 825 agricultural cooperatives, of which 646 are operating effectively. The reorganization of production into cooperatives and cooperative unions has contributed to increasing income and creating stable jobs for more than 10,000 rural workers.

From the very beginning of its term, the province identified the development of high-tech agriculture as one of its seven key programs.

Comrade Hoang Van Chat, Secretary of the Son La Provincial Party Committee

Comrade Hoang Van Chat, Secretary of the Son La Provincial Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term, stated: From the very beginning of the term, the province identified development as a priority.high-tech agricultureThis was one of seven key programs. Based on that orientation, the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued Conclusion No. 121-TB/TU. The province provided 200,000 VND per household to renovate unproductive gardens, benefiting over 90,000 households; and piloted a program to support 70% of the cost of drip irrigation systems. These initial supports created a "boost" for people to boldly switch to different crops on sloping land.

The aforementioned significant changes form the basis for the Son La Provincial Party Committee to continue identifying agriculture as the pillar of socio-economic development and to include it in the Resolution of the 16th Provincial Party Congress, term 2025-2030. Comrade Lo Minh Hung, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Son La Provincial People's Council, affirmed: Without a change in production mindset, Son La could not have achieved the turning point it has today. The policy of planting fruit trees on sloping land stems from the demands of life and the proper exploitation of the potential of the Northwest region.

Looking back at the 2021-2025 period, Son La's agriculture continued to develop in the right direction, maintaining an average growth rate of 3.44% per year. Harvest value reached 73 million VND/hectare of cultivated land, an increase of 43.7% compared to 2020; income from aquaculture reached 115 million VND/hectare of water surface. The crop structure shifted significantly. Livestock farming developed towards high-tech, farm-based production; the Moc Chau dairy herd reached 28,010 head, with a production of 92,800 tons/year. Aquaculture in the reservoir area reached over 10,000 tons, an increase of 20.8% compared to 2020.

Comrade Nguyen Dinh Viet, Chairman of the People's Committee of Son La province, assessed: The growth of Son La's agriculture clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the industry restructuring. More importantly, people's incomes and living standards have improved substantially and sustainably. Son La province always identifies the people as the main actors, businesses as the driving force, and the State as the facilitator of development.

Towards the goal of sustainable development

During the period 2021-2025,Son LaThe province has attracted five investment projects to build industrial-scale fruit and vegetable processing plants; the handicraft processing sector alone has thousands of establishments processing longan, drying fruits, making jams, juices, etc., contributing to the consumption of agricultural products locally. Among these, the province has a number of large processing projects that are operating or under development, such as: Moc Chau Dairy Cattle Breeding Company with a capacity of 250 tons of milk per day; applying international standards such as ISO, FSSC, Halal…

The Moc Chau Dairy Paradise Complex project (phase 1) has a capacity of 500 tons/day from 2026, and phase 2 will reach 1,000 tons/day. The BHL Son La modified starch processing plant has a capacity of 300 tons/day, with the most modern production line in Asia. The Cascara processing plant and roasted coffee plant in Mai Son have a capacity of thousands of tons/year... Son La also has more than 560 factories and facilities processing agricultural products and more than 2,700 facilities drying longan and other agricultural products. Products such as dried longan, dried mango, oolong tea, specialty coffee, Moc Chau milk, dried macadamia nuts, hawthorn juice, etc., have been exported to China, South Korea, Japan, the European Union (EU), the Middle East, and other countries.

One of Son La's highlights in agriculture in recent years is the province's clear identification of high-tech agriculture as a breakthrough to improve the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of agricultural products.

One of Son La's highlights in agriculture in recent years is the province's clear identification of high-tech agriculture as a breakthrough to improve the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of agricultural products. Son La province has nine recognized high-tech agricultural zones, including five fruit-growing areas. Currently, Son La has 3,891 hectares of water-saving irrigation land, an increase of 215% compared to 2021; and 115 hectares of greenhouses and polytunnels.

In livestock farming facilities that have applied technology with enclosed, automated barns, waste treatment using probiotics, and dairy cow embryo transfer, over 8,200 hectares are cultivated according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards. Regarding digital transformation, Son La has digitized 218 planting area codes, managed raw material areas, maintained electronic logs, and implemented traceability; 2,466 agricultural products have been listed on e-commerce platforms with over 49,000 transactions.

Mr. Vu Tien Dinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, said: The processagricultural developmentThe sustainable development of Son La is closely linked to rural development and improving people's lives. During the 2021-2025 period, Son La achieved many outstanding results, such as 74 communes being recognized as meeting new rural standards; the poverty rate decreased significantly, from 21.66% in 2021 to 7.89% in 2025. Ethnic minority areas have received support for production development, livelihood creation, and sustainable poverty reduction. 100% of the resettlement areas have been completed...

Text and photos: QUOC TUAN