Join hands to realize the aspiration of sustainable development of Northwest agriculture

(Chinhphu.vn) - When connected with localities, in the spirit of developing raw material areas in a "win-win" direction, enterprises not only play the role of buyers, but also act as technical consultants, provide seeds, consume products and work with local authorities to build long-term strategies.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam speaks at the forum - Photo: VGP/Do Huong

This is the way of Dong Giao Food Export Joint Stock Company (Doveco) shared by Mr. Dinh Cao Khue, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company at the Forum "Connecting production and trade of agricultural and forestry products in the Northwestern provinces". The forum was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the People's Committee of Son La province and the Vietnam Gardening Association today (July 1).

The forum brought together agricultural leaders from many northern mountainous localities, agricultural purchasing and processing enterprises, and many major scientists in the agricultural sector. The sharing showed that localities and enterprises in the agricultural sector are ready to build a more prosperous Northwest region.

From the story of Son La agricultural products

Son La province is currently a major agricultural raw material production area of the country with more than 100,000 hectares of agricultural land, including more than 85,000 hectares of fruit trees. In particular, the province has formed specialized areas for mango, longan, passion fruit, plum, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of Son La Provincial People's Committee, said that Son La province is gradually perfecting a modern and sustainable agricultural ecosystem, where crops are not only a livelihood, but also a high-quality commodity product with a place in the market. Son La is opening a new chapter in the development of agriculture in the northern mountainous region, linking technology, market and people's lives in a harmonious and long-term strategy.

Mr. Cong emphasized that the province clearly identified that if agriculture wants to develop sustainably, it must go into depth, increase post-harvest processing content, promote specialty products with strengths linked to the market.

In particular, post-harvest technology will determine the quality and commercial value of the product, which is the stage that needs to be focused on investment. Agricultural production is organized according to a chain from production, processing to consumption. Therefore, the province aims to plan production by region in accordance with natural and climatic conditions, while promoting scientific research and applying high technology in the care stage, especially pest control on fruit trees and coffee.

"A pillar in the upcoming development strategy is to prioritize the development of high-tech agriculture. The application of artificial intelligence, environmental sensors, smart irrigation, etc. is considered an inevitable direction to increase productivity, reduce costs and ensure the quality of agricultural products to meet the strict requirements of the domestic and export markets," Mr. Cong emphasized.

Mr. Cong shared that to achieve today's results, Son La has gone through very valuable and difficult lessons. "No one can go it alone, the Northwest will unite to develop agriculture to meet the expectations of the people and the expectations of businesses as well as the Government," Mr. Cong expressed.

The forum gathered leaders of many northern mountainous localities, businesses and many major scientists in the agricultural sector - Photo: VGP/Do Huong

Mr. Le Quoc Doanh, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chairman of the Vietnam Gardening Association said: "In recent years, products such as coffee, tea, and specialty fruit trees have been prioritized for development by the province and have achieved many successes. The coffee growing area in the Northwest has increased by 54% and output has increased by 265% in the past 10 years."

According to Mr. Le Quoc Doanh, one of the difficulties that the Northwest is facing is that new agricultural production complexes require different cultivation and management processes than traditional crops. However, Mr. Doanh noted that the rate of product quality certification is still not as high as other regions. One of the difficulties that the Northwest is facing is that new agricultural production complexes such as fruit trees and medicinal plants require different cultivation and management processes than traditional crops.

Therefore, the Northwestern provinces need scientific information and knowledge dissemination so that farmers can access and apply new techniques.

"There needs to be a close connection between production, processing, preservation and consumption of products. There needs to be cooperation and coordination between agencies, businesses and localities to remove difficulties," Mr. Doanh emphasized.

At the forum, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam acknowledged opinions and proposed many groups of solutions to sustainably develop agricultural products in the Northwest region.

That is to restructure production associated with raw material areas, complete the identification of key fruit growing areas down to the commune level, promote value chain linkage, strive to have 70-80% of products consumed through contracts by 2030; develop deep processing and post-harvest preservation industry, taking Son La as the core, promote diversified product processing according to the circular economic model; expand the market, connect domestic consumption and promote international exports; apply science and technology and digital transformation, build open databases and develop climate-adaptive crop varieties.

"It is especially necessary to strengthen international cooperation, mobilize investment capital for processing and logistics infrastructure; perfect specific policies and incentives for enterprises and cooperatives in remote areas; promote communication and promote Northwestern agricultural products through online channels, e-commerce and build a digital map of raw material areas," Deputy Minister Nam emphasized.

Do Huong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/chung-tay-hien-thuc-khat-vong-phat-trien-ben-vung-nong-nghiep-tay-bac-102250701180054322.htm