Bac Ninh: Increasing technology content, raising the value of agricultural products

BAC NINH - In the early days of winter, when orange, grapefruit and apple gardens started the new season, we were present at the production and processing clusters of several large enterprises in Bac Ninh province to record clear movements.

Agriculture is entering a period of strong restructuring, with the focus on increasing the technology content in agricultural processing. From automatic processing lines, smart cold storage, indigenous microbiological products to each digitized growing area code, all are paving the way for a new direction - more sustainable, more valuable and meeting stricter international standards.

Upgrading agricultural products with technology

With the desire to increase the value of lychees, businesses in the province such as Vifoco Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Tien Phong Ward) and Toan Cau Food Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Phuong Son Ward, abbreviated as Toan Cau Company) are looking for a new direction through the application of fresh lychee preservation technology. This method helps to prolong the shelf life and expand the consumption space, especially during times when fresh lychees are scarce.

Packaging processed agricultural products at Global Food Import Export Joint Stock Company.

At Vifoco, the production process is organized on a closed chain. After harvesting, lychees are washed and immediately put into the IQF quick freezing chamber to maintain their original quality. The company applies a quality management system according to ISO 22000 and HACCP standards, with an annual processing capacity of 8,000 - 10,000 tons.

At Toan Cau Company, processing equipment is invested synchronously. The stages of classification, sterilization, and packaging take place continuously, serving the processing of thousands of tons of lychee each year, mainly for export. The "hibernation" technology at -20°C helps lychee maintain its cell structure. When put into use, lychee is "awakened" at a temperature of 0 - 5°C, preserving its natural sweetness, aroma, and color. Mastering deep preservation technology helps consumers enjoy lychee all year round, while businesses can take the initiative in sourcing goods and when to bring products to market.

Realizing that the purple garlic plant in Gia Binh area has a distinctive aroma, if upgraded to single-clove garlic, it will have the potential to become a new specialty, Mr. Nguyen Binh Phuong, Director of Nanocare R&D Limited Liability Company (Gia Binh Commune) has joined hands with scientists from the Institute of Biology (Vietnam Academy of Agriculture) to conduct research and apply nanotechnology in production. The goal is to create nano-nutrients suitable for each growth stage, helping plants absorb nutrients properly and sufficiently.

Since 2017, Mr. Phuong has rented about 6 hectares of land from local people to build a raw material area and apply new technical processes. The production chain is strictly controlled, selecting varieties, treating bacteria and fungi with nano silver, irradiating with short-wavelength light, heat treatment, adding nano trace elements to stimulate strong growth of sprouts; at the same time, removing weak embryos and adjusting humidity to best restore the plants.

During the cultivation and processing process, nanotechnology plays a key role in helping Gia Binh single-clove garlic achieve high nutritional content, with quality approaching that of high-end Japanese garlic varieties. In particular, when used to process black garlic, the antioxidant content increases up to 50 times compared to regular garlic. Currently, the enterprise operates two modern drying kilns, producing over 10 tons of black garlic each year, consumed in supermarkets and agents domestically and exported to some Eastern European countries.

Promoting Bac Ninh to become a processing center

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Bac Ninh is putting technology at the center of its strategy to upgrade the agricultural value chain. The province has re-planned growing areas, identified which areas need restructuring, which areas need standardization of growing area codes, and which areas apply GlobalGAP. Along with that, it is studying the mechanism to support capital for technology investment, interest rate compensation for processing enterprises; promoting the expansion of agricultural processing industrial zones associated with raw material areas.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the whole province has more than 184 thousand hectares of agricultural land; about 53,900 hectares of fruit trees, with a total value of more than 7,400 billion VND/year. The whole province maintains 404 growing area codes, including 94 codes serving the domestic market, 310 export codes and 43 codes for fresh fruit packaging facilities. A number of enterprises have been bringing processed agricultural products of the province to markets in China, the United States, Japan, Australia, the EU, the Middle East, etc.

During a recent inspection trip to Tan Yen and Phuc Hoa, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Hong Thai noted that sectors and localities that want to increase economic value cannot rely solely on fresh fruit; they must promote deep processing, diversify products, improve packaging and designs to suit many market segments. Brand building, promotion, and market connection are also required to be done more systematically, especially when export markets are increasingly tightening quality standards. The Provincial Party Secretary suggested attracting businesses to invest heavily in post-harvest processing and preservation technology, extending consumption time, and reducing pressure to sell quickly during the main season. Gardeners must comply with safe production processes, maintaining the reputation of the growing area.

However, businesses and cooperatives also share difficulties such as too much investment capital for technology; raw materials meeting GlobalGAP and Organic standards are still lacking and uneven; cold storage, transportation and logistics systems still have high costs; and high-tech human resources are still scarce.

In fact, the application and increase of technology content in processed agricultural products puts farmers and businesses on a new path, where agricultural products do not just stop at their raw form but are "renewed", standardized and enter a wider market. With a systematic approach, Bac Ninh strives to become a bright spot in deep processing, associated with technology in the development process.

Yen Ngoc

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bac-ninh-tang-ham-luong-cong-nghe-nang-gia-tri-nong-san-postid431792.bbg