High-tech agriculture improves product quality.

Visiting the Mong and Thai villages in Sapp Vat, Long Phieng, and Phieng Khoai in Yen Chau district, one can easily sense the changes in each house. Mango, orange, and pomelo orchards have covered the villages, turning Yen Chau into a fruit-growing hub of Son La province, and improving the lives of the people. This is thanks to the local government's promotion of high-tech agriculture.

With the aim of linking and applying high technology to production, nearly a dozen households in Phiêng Khoài commune, Yên Châu district, contributed capital to establish Kiên Cường Cooperative and chose pears as their main crop. After more than 3 years of operation, thanks to the application of scientific advancements in cultivation, the Phiêng Khoài pear brand has become well-known, thereby increasing the income of its members.

Pear orchard in Phiêng Khoài commune, Yên Châu district, Sơn La province. Photo: Văn Ngọc

Taking us on a tour of her pear orchard, Ms. Dinh Thi May, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Kien Cuong Cooperative, shared: "In 2014, after researching in books and newspapers and directly visiting pear cultivation models in Lao Cai, my family decided to plant 1,000 Tai Nung pear trees, replacing our low-yield tea plantation. By mid-2018, the orchard yielded its first harvest, with every tree heavily laden with large, round, juicy pears. In the very first harvest, my family collected over 700 kg of pears, selling them at 40,000 VND/kg, earning nearly 30 million VND. Therefore, in the following years, I gradually increased the area planted with pear trees to 4,000 trees."

With 6 hectares of pear trees, Ms. May's family harvests over 30 tons of fruit each year, selling it at an average price of 40,000-80,000 VND/kg depending on the size of the fruit, bringing in an average income of 600 million VND.

Kien Cuong Cooperative in Phieng Khoai commune is promoting the application of scientific advancements in pear cultivation. Photo: Van Ngoc

According to Ms. May, to achieve high quality and yield of pears, it is necessary to apply scientific advancements to cultivation, adhering to proper techniques for fertilization, pruning, and fruit thinning. As a plant that prefers moist soil, from fruit set to harvest, sufficient water is essential for the fruit to grow large, have a glossy, juicy, and sweet skin. Conversely, a lack of water results in small, easily falling fruit. The secret to preventing skin blemishes and insect damage is to bag the fruit when it begins to develop for three weeks. Thanks to this method, the pears have a beautiful appearance, are uniformly large, have a rich, sweet, and crisp taste, and do not bruise when cut open like other pear varieties.

Recognizing the high economic efficiency and good market demand, since 2021, Ms. May has partnered with local households to expand pear cultivation and establish the Kien Cuong Cooperative. To date, the cooperative has 8 members and collaborates with households cultivating over 70 hectares of pears. Since joining the cooperative, members have actively applied technology to production, installing water-saving irrigation systems; using organic fertilizers and biological products for cultivation; and bagging the fruit to ensure attractive appearance. The cooperative has also established a control team to regularly inspect pear orchards, ensuring food safety for consumers. In 2023, the cooperative harvested over 100 tons of fruit, generating a total income of over 4 billion VND; on average, each member earned 400-700 million VND per year.

Each member household of the Kien Cuong Cooperative earns an average income of 400-700 million VND per year from fruit tree cultivation. Photo: Van Ngoc

Developing sustainable high-tech agriculture.

With over 11,800 hectares of various fruit trees, producing more than 74,000 tons of fruit per year, the district has directed specialized departments and localities to focus on guiding and encouraging people and cooperatives to apply scientific and technological advancements to production. This includes mainly grafting late-ripening longan; replacing some less efficient fruit tree varieties with Australian, Thai, GL4 (Taiwanese) mangoes, and VH6 (Tai Nung) pears; improving and grafting round mangoes; selecting varieties, caring for, irrigating, and using drip irrigation...

At the same time, the district directed the development of production on a large scale within contiguous areas, linked with product preservation, processing, and consumption, and supported the building of brands and trademarks for characteristic fruit varieties. Over the past five years, the district has supported the implementation of drip irrigation technology models for eight fruit-growing cooperatives; piloted smart monitoring stations in two communes, Sapp Vat and Phieng Khoai, to help warn of weather and control pests and diseases; and supported the construction of a product traceability system for the people...

The custard apple orchard is covered with fruit bags to protect against pests and diseases. Photo: Van Ngoc

Mr. Cao Xuan Dung, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Yen Chau district (Son La province), said: Currently, in Yen Chau district, there are over 560 hectares where people apply high technology to production; over 70 hectares of longan and 22 hectares of mango have been granted planting area codes, and over 350 hectares of fruit trees have been certified VietGAP. Many fruit tree farming models follow organic farming methods and are linked with export units for product consumption. Many fruit tree farming models apply high technology, use cameras for direct monitoring, produce organically, and are linked with export units.

In addition, Yen Chau district has developed and completed the dossiers to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for recognition of 3 high-tech agricultural zones, including: the plum zone in Phieng Khoai commune; the longan zone in Long Phieng commune; and the mango zone in Chieng Hac commune, with a total area of ​​nearly 1,030 hectares. The application of science and technology in production has contributed to increasing farmers' income, raising the value of harvested products to 60 million VND/ha, and the value of exported fruits to 5.9 million USD.

Thanks to the increased application of scientific advancements in farming, Yen Chau district has now produced many high-quality products. Photo: Van Ngoc

Along with that, many cooperatives and households in the district have promoted the application of scientific and technological advancements in production, especially pruning, shaping, fruit bagging to prevent and control pests and diseases, and investing in proactive irrigation systems… creating high-value products. The area of ​​crops in the district applying high technology to production has gradually increased, forming many good models and practices in production, enhancing product value, such as models of staggered cultivation of plums and longan in Tu Nang, Long Phieng, and Phieng Khoai communes; organic mango cultivation models in Chieng Hac commune; and models of strawberry and Tai Nung pear development in Phieng Khoai commune.

By promoting the application of science and technology in production, creating favorable conditions for Yen Chau district to form and expand high-tech and organic agricultural production areas for key products, aiming for clean and sustainable agricultural development, the district's agricultural products will reach a wider market.

Source: trangtraiviet.danviet.vn