Less than 1% of crop area applies high technology

In the 10 years since the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th Congress of the Son La Provincial Party Committee on converting crop structure on sloping land, the development of fruit trees on sloping land has changed the face of Son La.

Looking back over the past decade, Ms. Cam Thi Phong - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province affirmed that the flexibility and effectiveness of the resolutions issued by the province have contributed significantly to the sustainable development of local agriculture. Support policies - from building nurseries to growing areas, supporting the establishment of cooperatives... have helped Son La's agriculture to continuously grow.

Farmers in Moc Chau district participate in a technical training course on soil-free vegetable growing technology. Photo:Quynh Chi.

After more than 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 08 of the Son La Provincial Party Committee on concentrated, sustainable development of agriculture, forestry and fishery, applying high technology until 2025, with a vision to 2030, up to now, Son La agriculture has grown, becoming a phenomenon of the whole country, ranking first in the North and second in the country in terms of fruit tree growing area.

However, with over 210 thousand hectares of crops, Son La province currently has only over 51 hectares of cultivated land.greenhousehigh-tech applications (accounting for 0.02%). Although the province has policies to support and encourage farmers to apply high-tech agricultural production solutions, the number of households with enough resources to invest in greenhouses is still limited.

Ms. Phong said that some current policies have revealed shortcomings and need to be adjusted to be more suitable to reality. Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province will continue to advise the province to amend Resolution 128 of the Provincial People's Committee on encouraging enterprises and cooperatives to invest in the agricultural and rural sectors.

Dr. Leone Magliocchetti Lombi - Technical Head of the Project "Smart Agriculture for Future Generations"
Visiting the greenhouse model supported by the investment project in Son La province. Photo:Quynh Chi.

Besides,Son La agricultureThe change in appearance is also thanks to contributions from projects, organizations, and research facilities at home and abroad. The province always actively calls for the participation of investors and support programs to promote agriculture and rural areas.

In addition to the project “Smart Agriculture for Future Generations”, a series of other programs and projects have also had positive impacts on Son La, such as the project to improve climate change adaptation for the coffee value chain; improve sustainable livestock production for livelihoods, nutrition and gender integration; promote market-oriented agroforestry and restore forests in the Northwest, etc.

“With the active support from local authorities in all project activities, Son La farmers have had clear changes in their thinking, awareness and production methods, becoming more and more connected to market needs,” said Ms. Cam Thi Phong.

Gaps in agricultural value chain linkages

The project “Smart Agriculture for Future Generations” is a highlight of multilateral cooperation in Son La. 34 farming households inMoc Chau districtreceived technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development). Thanks to that, they have mastered the techniques of plant health care and soil health, and are confident in producing clean vegetables and fruits.

Son La farmers are increasingly focusing on investing in high-tech fruit and vegetable production. Photo:Quynh Chi.

“Although people have access to advanced farming technology, there are still many steps that need to be completed. The project is currently focusing on the production stage, but the following stages such as harvesting, preliminary processing,post-harvest preservationhas not been invested properly yet", Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung - Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute commented.

According to the plan, 34 farming households participating in the project will receive support in registering and being granted VietGAP certification. This is an important first step for Moc Chau safe vegetable products to have a firm foothold in the market.

Besides, Dr. Hung said that developing direct consumption channels will reduce dependence on traders, ensuring that the value of products reaching consumers does not fluctuate.

In order for Son La agricultural products to reach further and penetrate deeper into large markets, there needs to be close coordination between farmers, managers, investors and the agricultural processing factory system in the province.

According to: nongnghiep.vn