Dak Nong changes the way farmers use fertilizer

Currently, pepper is one of the four main crops of Dak Nong. Pepper accounts for a large proportion in the agricultural land use structure of the province.

By the end of 2023, the pepper growing area in Dak Nong is estimated to reach about 34,000 hectares, with an annual output of 73,000 tons/crop. Pepper is grown mainly in areas such as Dak Song, Dak R'lap, Tuy Duc, Dak Glong...

Growing pepper on sloping land, with unsafe pillars, the pepper garden of people in Nam Jang commune, Dak Song district (Dak Nong) is not very effective.

Pepper plants have affirmed their position and brought high economic efficiency to farmers. With a large area, the annual demand for fertilizers and pesticides for pepper plants is quite high.

The amount of inorganic fertilizer used for pepper plants is about 34,000 tons/year, mainly in the form of synthetic NPK. In addition, not to mention manure and organic fertilizer produced by people themselves.

As for pesticides, on average, farmers use about 2-3 sprays per year, with the amount of pesticides used being about 40,000-50,000 liters/year. Mainly pesticides used in the rainy season, pesticides used to kill sucking aphids.

Previously, when pepper prices increased, Mr. Tran Van Hien's family in Nam N'Jang commune, Dak Song district (Dak Nong) invested in expanding the pepper growing area. Due to not mastering the planting techniques and the ability to adapt to the soil and environment of pepper plants, Mr. Hien's pepper garden was infected with diseases and underdeveloped.

When pepper prices increased, Mr. Tran Van Hien in Nam N'Jang commune, Dak Song district (Dak Nong) expanded the area, but did not master the techniques, causing the pepper garden to have low productivity and become infected with diseases.

Mr. Hien said: “Because I saw that pepper plants brought high income, I ignored the risks in the process of planting, caring for and preventing diseases. Therefore, the pepper garden did not achieve the desired results.”

Not only Mr. Hien, many farmers in the area also think the same, when pepper prices are high, they do not hesitate to abuse chemical fertilizers and growth stimulants to promote pepper plants to increase productivity and output.

Not only that, many households also grow pepper on unsuitable soil, use diseased varieties, and makeshift poles. Along with that, heavy and prolonged rain causes flooding, rotting the roots, leading to the phenomenon of yellow leaves and death in pepper gardens.

According to the Dak Nong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, to help people grow pepper effectively, the unit has coordinated with sectors and localities to promote training, propaganda, and provide people with technical measures in caring for and preventing diseases for crops.

In particular, the unit focuses on guiding farmers to use fertilizers and pesticides responsibly to protect the environment and improve product quality.

People in village 10, Truong Xuan commune, Dak Song district (Dak Nong) use fruit as biofertilizer.

Mr. Le Hoang Vinh, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Song district, said that recently, the district's agricultural sector has stepped up guidance and propaganda on the harmful effects of overusing chemical fertilizers as well as unreasonable fertilization.

At the same time, the locality has built many models using agricultural by-products such as coffee husks, corn stalks, plant branches and leaves... to produce organic fertilizers, partially replacing chemical fertilizers, increasing economic efficiency.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, many farmers have applied the method of balanced and reasonable fertilization, covering the soil and using slow-release fertilizers. This has greatly limited the evaporation of fertilizers due to the influence of sunny and rainy weather.

Regarding pest management, in recent years, from the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, farmers have limited the use of chemical pesticides to protect natural enemies, giving priority to choosing biological and herbal pesticides.

Besides, due to increasingly strict requirements on the quality of agricultural products, especially pesticide and fertilizer residues, farmers' awareness and responsibility have been significantly improved.

Scenery of pepper production area in Nam Binh commune, Dak Song district

To adapt production to climate change and limit greenhouse gas effects in agricultural production, Dak Nong also implements many technical measures such as: multi-layer farming, grass farming, creating vegetation in the garden, weeding with mowers, limiting erosion and leaching, fertilizing combined with irrigation.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dak-nong-thay-doi-cach-dung-phan-bon-cua-nong-dan-235106.html