To exploit potential and bring practical efficiency, Dong Nai focuses on applying high technology (CNC), choosing suitable cultivation and livestock models towards quality, safe and sustainable organic agriculture (AOA).

Organic farming, application of techniques and technology

Mr. Nguyen Khoa Truong, residing in An Binh Hamlet, Trung Hoa Commune (Trang Bom District) is a typical local farmer. His family has a 2-hectare durian garden, 12 years old, with an average annual harvest of about 25 tons/hectare. With the current durian price, his family's income is estimated at 1.5 billion VND/year. To have a fruit garden in season and with high economic efficiency, Mr. Truong has used organic fertilizers, installed automatic irrigation technology, and especially applied modern techniques and technology in production and plant care.

Mr. Nguyen Khoa Truong shared: “The most important thing is to apply technology and not use chemicals, including herbicides. I often learn technology from the internet, grasp the care process, pruning branches and flowers, removing bad fruits, treating fungal diseases, cleaning durian roots and cutting grass with machines... The closed care process and application of technology have replaced most of the previous manual steps, contributing to improving the quality of agricultural products”.

Dong Nai farmers apply mechanization in rice cultivation with high efficiency.

In Binh Hoa commune (Vinh Cuu district), Mr. Vu Dinh Huan's family started a business with two greenhouses growing melons, over 2,000m2 wide. As an agricultural engineer, he proactively researched and applied techniques to each stage of planting and fertilizing. Thanks to that, his family's revenue and profit from melons continuously increased. According to Mr. Huan, starting a business with a CNC and NNHC agricultural model is a feasible trend. This is also a policy of the government, so it should be interested, guided by techniques, and supported with consumption to help people confidently produce.

In Xuan Loc district, in recent years, thanks to improvements and the application of science and technology in rice production, people's lives have improved. Instead of producing rice in a fragmented and manual manner, people have joined cooperatives, contributing billions of VND to invest in buying agricultural machinery. Up to now, the mechanization rate in rice production in many cooperatives has reached 100%, from production to harvesting, preserving and processing agricultural products... Each cooperative member household has also actively applied organic rice production processes according to VietGAP standards, limiting the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth stimulants, preservatives... Thanks to that, ST24 rice products of Xuan Loc farmers have been granted a product trademark certificate and are widely consumed in the market...

Other localities in Dong Nai province also have economic models that bring high value and profit thanks to the application of science and technology, such as: 3-root durian in Cam My district; oyster mushrooms in Long Khanh city; hydroponic vegetables in Bien Hoa city... Many production models of the province have met VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. Mr. Cao Tien Sy, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Dong Nai province said: Applying technology to organic production and farming is affirming to be the right direction in agriculture. In the coming time, Dong Nai will continue to develop CNC and organic agriculture, quality, safety and sustainability to achieve the value ratio of CNC agricultural products of over 50% of the total value of the whole industry, practically improving the quality of life of the people.

A 3-tree durian model in Cam My district. Photo: TUNG DANG

Expanding links, mobilizing resources

The Resolution of the 11th Dong Nai Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025, identifies the development of organic agriculture as one of the four breakthrough tasks. To carry out this task, it is necessary to expand linkages, mobilize resources from businesses and collectives and individuals to join hands with farmers to produce organic agricultural products, creating safe products without using inorganic or chemical substances. Therefore, localities in the province focus on establishing production cooperatives; connecting production cooperatives with distributors and businesses; signing supply, investment, and closed-cycle cooperation agreements... to join hands to improve agriculture and high-quality agricultural products.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Nai province signed an agreement with Hai Duong International Joint Stock Company (Binh Duong) on ​​cooperation in organic agricultural production. Previously, the People's Committee of Dong Nai province signed an agreement with Que Lam Group Joint Stock Company (Ho Chi Minh City) to cooperate in developing high-tech agriculture, organic agriculture, and replicating organic production models in the province... Mr. Le Van Goi, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Nai province, said: The cooperation not only ensures the quality of production meets standards, shares the burden with farmers and solves reasonable output, but also helps farmers better understand the market, implement the organic production process well and be responsible for their products as well as consumers.

In practice, through linkage, Dong Nai has mobilized capital, human resources, technology... into organic agricultural production, applying CNC; at the same time, Dong Nai's agricultural products are increasingly prestigious in the market. Some agricultural products have been certified 3 stars of the national program "One Commune One Product" (OCOP); exported to Japan, Russia, Korea... The important issue is that clean production, production according to international standards must continue to be widely applied so that agricultural products meet the requirements of demanding markets.

With the goal of reaching 1.5% of the total agricultural land area by 2025, Dong Nai actively supports and encourages farmers and businesses to produce according to good agricultural practices; continues to build a chain from production to consumption through expanding cooperation and investment. Mr. Nguyen Hong Lam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Que Lam Group Joint Stock Company affirmed: With its responsibility, the company will closely cooperate with the Dong Nai government and farmers, gradually transferring technical processes to apply organic technology, organic microorganisms to agricultural production; provide technical training and promote, build brands, develop markets, and distribution channels for Dong Nai province's organic products to many partners and customers.

According to Mr. Vo Van Phi, Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, the direction for Dong Nai's agricultural economy has been clearly defined. Each locality in the province needs to consider the development of organic agriculture as a breakthrough, renovating the agricultural structure; at the same time, promote production linkages to develop clean agriculture, ecological agriculture, organic agriculture, and CNC agriculture in the direction of commodity production associated with digital transformation, processing industry, preservation and consumption market...

Article and photos: CHAU GIANG