According to the People's Committee of Son La province, in the period 2021 - 2025, agriculture will continue to develop both in scale and production level, maintaining a relatively high growth rate, affirming its important position in the province's economic development, and ensuring food security in a commodity-based direction;

With a strong transformation in crop and livestock structures, the application of science and technology, improved quality and added value, effective utilization of local advantages, adaptation to climate change, a gradual increase in the proportion of processed agricultural products, an expansion of consumer markets, and a focus on agricultural exports, both in terms of volume and value, Son La has become a major center for commercial agricultural production in the northern mountainous region.

However, despite the achievements, the province's agriculture development lacks sustainability, the application of science and technology is limited, especially the application and transfer of new, high-value crop and livestock varieties; attracting investment for agricultural development and services in rural areas faces many difficulties; and forecasting and information on agricultural production and consumption markets do not meet requirements...

In light of this situation, the Son La Provincial Party Committee has just issued Resolution No. 05-NQ/TU on sustainable agricultural development linked with processing industries for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2035. The resolution identifies a strong shift from a mindset focused on agricultural production to one focused on agricultural economics; developing green, organic, circular, and low-emission agriculture; and using science and technology and deep processing as pillars to improve the quality of growth.

The formation of concentrated commodity production zones, areas, and clusters of appropriate scale, high technology, and clean products; the promotion of production linkages along the value chain, from developing raw material areas, collecting, preserving, processing, consuming, and exporting products; the enhancement of the efficiency and added value of the agricultural sector; and the development of agriculture associated with the application of high technology and digital transformation must become a key driving force and breakthrough for development.

Son La province will develop concentrated production zones, areas, and clusters of goods on an appropriate scale, using high technology and producing clean products.

Promoting the application of science and technology and digital transformation in agriculture; developing large-scale commodity production areas with high quality and added value, linked to deep processing and product branding; restructuring crops, livestock, and products to suit market demand and the advantages of each locality; developing an agricultural economic ecosystem along a multi-value chain including processing industry, services, tourism, and low-carbon economy; and expanding export markets for agricultural products.

Actively support and create a favorable environment for small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, collective economic organizations, and agricultural households to access land, capital, technology, and markets to serve sustainable agricultural development. Develop traditional craft villages while promoting cultural values ​​and protecting the environment. Strive to achieve an average agricultural growth rate of approximately 3.5-4% by 2030; increase the average income of rural people by 2.5 times or more compared to 2020; have 36 communes meet the new rural standards; ensure that the percentage of rural households using clean water according to standards reaches 60% or more; and maintain a stable forest cover rate of 48.5%.

In addition, Son La aims to establish one high-tech agricultural zone and 21 high-tech agricultural areas; attract investment in 3-5 more industrial-scale agricultural processing plants, raising the value of agricultural processing production (at 2010 constant prices) to approximately 11,000 billion VND, and the value of processed agricultural products participating in exports to 350 million USD or more.

By 2035, the target is for high-tech agricultural production to account for approximately 70-80% of the total value of the entire sector, essentially completing the National Target Program for building new rural areas, aiming towards modern rural areas with a green, clean, beautiful, and culturally rich living environment.

Promoting the application of science and technology, digital transformation, and high technology in production and management in agricultural development; and training human resources in agriculture and rural areas are among the important tasks that the province has identified for accelerated implementation. Specifically, the province will strengthen research, application, and transfer of scientific and technological advancements throughout the agricultural sector; prioritizing high technology, biotechnology, and modern preservation and processing technologies to improve productivity, quality, competitiveness, and added value of key products.

Strive to promote innovation and foster linkages between management agencies, universities, and businesses in research and technology application. Strongly implement digital and high-tech applications such as artificial intelligence, IoT, GIS, big data, sensors, remote sensing, and automation to monitor raw material areas, forecast diseases, weather, and natural disasters; serving development planning, production management, and quality control of agricultural products.

Step-by-step development of smart agriculture, optimizing farming processes, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency. Improving infrastructure and enhancing the operational efficiency of the Son La High-Tech Agricultural Zone; orienting its development to become a center for innovation, testing, demonstration, and transfer of modern agricultural solutions in the province. Encouraging high-tech enterprises, research units, and scientific organizations to participate in investment and collaborative development.

Establish a unified database system on land, water resources, forests, minerals, meteorology and hydrology, biodiversity, etc. Effectively support training and technology transfer to help farmers gradually develop a mindset of large-scale, professional, and modern commodity production; widely apply scientific and technological achievements in production, harvesting, preservation, and processing; possess digital knowledge and skills, especially in e-commerce; proactively adapt to market fluctuations, natural disasters, and epidemics; and demonstrate a sense of responsibility and cooperation for mutual development.

Effectively implement policies to support farmers' access to capital, green credit, and agricultural insurance; create conditions for farmers to participate in innovative entrepreneurship, develop service and industrial sectors in rural areas, and integrate into new value chains. Prioritize human resource training for remote areas, mountainous regions, and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

Strengthen trade promotion activities for agricultural products; link tourism development with the introduction of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products. Expand the market for agricultural products, especially packaged processed agricultural products in the province, through trade fairs, conferences, and investment promotion forums.

Support the development of geographical indications and trademarks for the province's agricultural products. Create linkages between farmers, businesses, cooperatives, cooperative unions, and relevant agencies and units in the development of agricultural commodities through production and consumption linkages.

Diversify agricultural export markets, especially developing potential markets, with particular attention to key markets near Vietnam; seek and exploit new markets where the province's agricultural products have advantages in terms of variety, quality, and seasonality. Build, protect, and develop brands and geographical indications for the province's agricultural products, and increase the area granted planting area codes for some crops in the province.../.

 

My Linh