Turning Than Uyên into the capital of chia plants.

LAI CHAU: The natural farming practices of the people in Than Uyen involve minimal use of chemical products, making it easy to demarcate areas for organically grown crops.

The Center for Technology Transfer and Agricultural Extension (Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences), the Global Green House Cooperative, and the People's Committee of Than Uyên district (Lai Châu province) have just signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop chia cultivation in the locality.

The cultivation of chia plants in Than Uyên aims to establish concentrated raw material areas to supply chia products for domestic production, consumption, and export. This will contribute to poverty reduction, income improvement, improved livelihoods for households, and economic development in the locality.

Through research and testing, the chia plant has been found to be suitable for the soil and climate conditions in Than Uyên ( Lai Châu ). Photo: University.

Mr. Pham Van Dan, Director of the Center for Technology Transfer and Agricultural Extension, said: "The chia plants we brought to Vietnam have been grown experimentally, and we have evaluated the growth indicators, yield, and quality of chia seeds over many years and many seasons to have a basis for selecting chia varieties suitable for Vietnam."

Through tripartite cooperation, the Center will organize and implement the construction of seedling production areas and commercial chia seed production areas that meet technical requirements, gradually moving towards producing products that meet organic standards.

According to Mr. Dan, the Center has sent experts to coordinate with relevant parties to assess production conditions in various regions, select suitable areas, and propose measures to ensure product quality meets market demands. In addition, the Center will also produce chia seeds to meet production needs; focus on transferring new scientific and technical advancements to the people; and provide training, education, and sharing of experience on planting, caring for, harvesting, processing, preserving, and processing chia plants to ensure quality.

In particular, the Center directly serves as the focal point for signing joint ventures and partnerships for the procurement and processing of chia seeds and other agricultural products, from establishing seed production models to commercial production models.

Mr. Pham Van Dan (second from the right), Director of the Center for Technology Transfer and Agricultural Extension, visits a trial chia plant farm. Photo: HD.

Recognizing the potential of chia plants, the Global Green House Cooperative conducted research and launched its first pilot planting project at the 50-hectare Ifram farm in Vinh Quynh commune (Thanh Tri district, Hanoi), with the hope of making this economically valuable plant a new spearhead in agriculture...

Through research and field trials in various locations, the Global Green House Cooperative has determined that Than Uyên (Lai Châu) is suitable for chia cultivation. Than Uyên possesses a valley surrounded by mountains, resulting in suitable soil, a cool and stable climate, and is highly conducive to oilseed crops, including chia. Furthermore, the local people's natural farming practices minimize the use of chemical products, making it easy to establish organic production zones.

During the research process, the Global Green House Cooperative successfully domesticated and introduced into production three varieties of chia suitable for the climate and soil conditions of the Northern Delta and Northern mountainous regions, yielding high productivity and quality that meet high nutritional standards compared to the world (scoring 8.5/10 based on oil content of 31.75/34g and protein content of 18.15/21g).

"The Than Uyên District People's Committee has also facilitated the Cooperative to become a bridge for the project, introducing chia plants for the first time in Vietnam on a large scale, fully utilizing resources and strengths from topography, soil, climate to people and organic farming practices. In addition, the Than Uyên District People's Committee has also provided favorable policies and management for the planting area, encouraging participation and helping farmers to cultivate and develop chia plants," emphasized Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Huyen, Director of the Global Green House Cooperative.

Signing ceremony for cooperation in developing chia plants in Than Uyên district (Lai Châu). Photo: HĐ.

According to Ms. Huyen, in the long term, the cooperative will develop the "Chico Chia" brand with a variety of products such as tea bags, young leaf nutritional powder, omega 369, raw chia seeds, etc., using advanced processing technology to serve both the domestic and export markets. The economic benefits from chia plants will be further optimized by leveraging them to promote experiential tourism, with the ultimate goal of making Than Uyên the "chia seed capital" of Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Chairman of the Than Uyen District People's Committee, directed specialized agencies and local authorities to effectively disseminate information to the people about the policy, cooperation, and development of chia cultivation in the district; and to closely coordinate with relevant units to review and advise on the development of chia cultivation areas and scale.

In 2024, the district will focus on planting chia in Muong Kim and Muong Cang communes, while continuing to develop and expand the scale to approximately 500-800 hectares in many other communes. Than Uyen district requests that specialized agencies coordinate with cooperating units to provide and transfer production techniques, ensuring the quality of planting and harvesting chia seeds meets standards.

"The district has identified the development of chia cultivation as an opportunity to replace less efficient crops, helping people shift their crop structure, increase income, alleviate poverty, contribute to building new rural areas, and develop agriculture in an organic, ecological, and sustainable direction," Mr. Nguyen Van Thang emphasized.

Chia seeds are known as a nutritious food with high economic value. Growing and using chia seeds offers many health benefits and economic value. Currently, chia seed cultivation is only popular in Australia and the United States. Through research and testing, chia plants have been found suitable for cultivation in Than Uyên (Lai Châu).

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/dua-than-uyen-thanh-thu-phu-cay-chia-d386316.html