The farmer sticks to the land, sticks to the fields, looking for new directions for economic development

From a low-lying, acidic land, Mr. Hoang Minh Luyen (Ky Phu commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh) boldly converted to rice cultivation combined with fish farming, opening up a new direction for development in local agricultural production.

Mr. Hoang Minh Luyen renovated the rice field, planted water hyacinth to raise square-head perch and carp.

Born in a poor rural area, Mr. Hoang Minh Luyen (born in 1983, Phu Minh village, Ky Phu commune) worked in Korea for many years to earn extra income to support his family. However, he always wondered and wished to get rich in his homeland. That thought urged Mr. Luyen to stay on the land, stay on the fields, and find new directions for economic development.

And that determination was even more clearly defined when in the spring crop of 2023, Ky Phu commune (Ky Anh district) for the first time implemented the policy of converting and accumulating land to form large fields and converting the structure of suitable crops and livestock in ineffective land areas.

In the spring crop of 2023, Mr. Luyen started implementing a rice-fish production model according to organic processes.

Through research, Mr. Luyen realized that the Nuong Ma area, in Phu Minh village, had low-lying, acidic, fragmented fields that were difficult to cultivate. People mainly grew spring rice, while the summer-autumn crop was abandoned for fear of flooding. He decided to rent fields from households in this area, renovate the fields, and dig ponds around them to build a model of rice cultivation combined with fish farming.

Realizing that Mr. Luyen “dared to think, dared to do” and was bold in innovation, the local government actively supported him. The Center for Application of Science and Technology and Protection of Plants and Livestock in Ky Anh district provided technical advice on planting high-quality rice varieties ST25, releasing 30,000 square-head perch and 6,000 carp on a total area of ​​3 hectares.

Mr. Luyen shared: “Because this is a barren land, has not been renovated for a long time, the infrastructure is degraded, so when I started, I encountered many difficulties. To grow rice that meets the standards, all the field roads and water channels must be treated to have a width of 3-4m, a suitable depth to actively regulate water to reach 1-1.2m on the entire field; the embankment must be reinforced firmly, the bank must be built high to avoid flooding due to rain and flood and fish loss. The preparation time must be concentrated in 3-4 months with a very large amount of work”.

Squarehead tilapia raised in rice fields grow well.

According to Mr. Luyen, in addition to the support of technicians, he also researched more information online and visited models in many other localities to gain experience. This model has many advantages, bringing "double" efficiency because fish and rice have a symbiotic relationship. Fish eat harmful pests and continuously stir up mud, so rice is less susceptible to pests and diseases, and fish waste acts as fertilizer, helping rice plants grow and develop smoothly.

In addition, not using pesticides will reduce costs in the farming process. Squarehead perch and ST25 rice have similar growth times, so it is very convenient in the care and harvesting process. Fish raised in rice fields mainly use natural food, so the quality of the fish meat is delicious, favored by consumers, and sells for a good price.

Staff of the Center for Science and Technology Application and Plant and Animal Protection of Ky Anh district inspect the model. Photo courtesy

Last spring, after harvesting ST25 rice with a yield of 54 quintals/ha, Mr. Luyen's family sold more than 5 tons of square-head perch, deducting all expenses for an income of nearly 200 million VND. The remaining carp are being cared for and harvested when they reach commercial size.

Mr. Luyen happily said: "It is true that "the land does not fail the people". Thanks to the focus on rebuilding a unified infrastructure system, after many years of abandonment, I was able to carry out production on this field, contributing to increasing family income, taking advantage of local land funds to develop agriculture. At the same time, I also joined the Phu Minh Village Rice Growing Cooperative to increase the connectivity of product output, building a quality rice brand."

Organic rice products of Mr. Luyen

Mr. Nguyen Kien Quyet - Chairman of Ky Phu Commune People's Committee said: "With the boldness to change the mindset in production, Mr. Hoang Minh Luyen rented ineffective rice fields to grow rice combined with fish farming, initially bringing high economic efficiency.

From this model, in the coming time, along with the policy of land accumulation, we will continue to mobilize people to convert some ineffective rice growing areas to organic rice growing combined with fish farming to increase productivity, increase income, create a source of safe products, environmentally friendly production; participate in the supply chain of clean, organic agricultural products, OCOP products of the district".

Thai Oanh - Nguyen Hoan

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nong-nghiep/anh-nong-dan-bam-dat-bam-ruong-tim-huong-phat-trien-kinh-te-moi/252654.htm