Transforming thinking towards green and clean agricultural production

Chi Minh Commune is one of the communes with the largest organic rice growing area in the city with 350 hectares. Photo: THANH CHUNG

High economic efficiency

These days, in the An Dinh village (Chi Minh commune) rươi fields, people are busy with lamps to harvest the first batches of rươi. The rươi holes are dense, the rươi are big and pink, signaling a good rươi crop is about to come. Two years ago, Ms. Pham Thi Hoa's family in An Dinh village invested in more renovation, one hectare of field to grow organic rice combined with rươi and crab exploitation.

Also on this area, in previous years, her family grew two rice crops, with unstable income. Since implementing the above model, Hoa's family has switched to growing one organic rice crop, and the other crop is for harvesting earthworms. Rice grown on earthworm fields does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and after harvesting, the products are linked to be consumed, so people do not have to worry about the output.

Ms. Hoa's family also sprinkled corn flour to nourish the soil. "With the current selling price of rươi from 230 - 280 thousand VND/kg, depending on the size of the rươi, the harvest will be many times higher than the previous simple rice cultivation," Ms. Hoa said excitedly.

Chi Minh Commune is one of the communes with the largest organic rice growing area in the city with 350 hectares. In recent years, the cooperative has actively coordinated in testing and mobilizing farmers to expand the planting area of some high-quality rice varieties, mainly ST25 on the area of rươi and cay exploitation to increase production value.

With the experience of exploiting earthworms in the field, people applied it to the fields. Many households invested in hiring excavators to build banks, fence areas, improve the soil, and create an environment for earthworms to grow and develop. Although the first harvest yield was not high, people were happy because the earthworms in the field were big, red, and no different from those in the field.

The average yield of rice grown on the field of earthworms is 180 kg/sao. For households that have been renovating for 2-3 years, the estimated output of earthworms is 20-25 kg/sao. Mr. Pham Xuan Luan, Director of An Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative (Chi Minh commune) said: "The actual production shows that organic farming is bringing high value with stable output.

The production value from local organic agriculture reaches 500 - 600 million VND/ha/year. Chi Minh commune focuses on promoting the development of clean agriculture and organic agriculture with the goal of building the locality into a typical model of clean agriculture - green tourism - new countryside.

In many communes of Vinh Bao, Kien Thuy, An Lao, and Tien Lang districts (formerly), about 1,200 hectares of rice cultivation land have been established using organic methods combined with sustainable exploitation of earthworms and crabs. Farmers have changed their old farming practices, moving towards green production, saying no to pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

The rice produced is not only clean and safe for health, but also maintains a clean production environment and increases economic value. Ms. Bui Thi Ha (An Quang commune) said: "Compared to conventional rice cultivation, the model of raising earthworms combined with rice production and linking product consumption brings much higher efficiency. Not only protecting the environment, expanding organic production also contributes to increasing people's income and changing previous farming practices."

To ensure output for people, the locality also creates conditions to help farmers connect with business units and cooperatives, including Hai Au Viet Company, Thuy Huong Agricultural Cooperative, New Generation Agriculture Joint Stock Company... Rice grown on the fields of crabs is mainly high-quality rice varieties that are also purchased and distributed by units nationwide.

People of An Thanh commune (now Chi Minh commune) enter the main harvest season of bloodworms. Photo: THANH CHUNG

Lots of potential

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of New Generation Agriculture Joint Stock Company, said that each year in the West of Hai Phong, there are about 700 hectares of rice produced according to organic standards, and in the East of the city, there are more than 1,000 hectares. The rice fields outside the riverbank can be used to exploit earthworms and clams combined with growing rice according to organic processes.

Many areas in the fields can also produce rice using this method. "There is still a lot of room for the city to develop organic rice production areas, while the increasing demand for clean products is a great opportunity to replicate this model. The enterprise proposed to the City Tourism Association to pay attention to organizing programs to promote and advertise organic rice and products related to earthworms and crabs in promising places," said Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan.

Organic products such as rice, earthworms, and clams, in addition to their practical farming value, also bring intangible values, contributing to attracting people and tourists to visit, experience, and learn about rural life, bringing additional income to people in the communes. Local OCOP products also have their own characteristics of organic agriculture.

Ms. Luong Thi Kiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed: "Hai Phong has enough potential to expand the growing area, build and develop organic rice into one of the famous agricultural brands, bringing high economic value to both farmers and businesses. Growing organic rice combined with exploiting earthworms and crabs not only brings high economic efficiency to producers but also opens up many potentials for ecotourism."

HONG ANH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/chuyen-doi-tu-duy-san-xuat-nong-nghiep-xanh-sach-526925.html