Towards an advanced agriculture and fishery

Binh Thuan is one of the three largest fishing grounds in the country. Photo: Dinh Hoa

• ROOM FOR DEVELOPMENT

Among the 3 provinces before the merger, Lam Dong is the province with the largest natural area, with 9,781.2 ^km2 , population of 1,595,597 people; also the province with the largest number of administrative units (Us) including 8 districts, 2 cities with 137 communes, wards and towns (106 communes, 18 wards and 13 towns); after the arrangement, there are 51 commune-level Us (with 9 wards and 42 communes).

Binh Thuan province has a smaller natural area than Lam Dong with 7,942.6 ^km2 ; has a population of 1,531,253 people; has 1 city, 1 town and 8 districts; includes 121 communes, wards and towns (93 communes, 16 wards and 12 towns); after the arrangement, there are 45 basic administrative units (with 8 wards, 36 communes, 1 Phu Quy special zone).

Meanwhile, Dak Nong is the province with the smallest natural area of the three provinces with 6,509 km2; the population is also smaller with 746,149 people; there is 1 city and 7 districts with 71 communes, wards and towns (60 communes, 6 wards and 5 towns); after the arrangement, there are 28 basic administrative units (including 3 wards and 25 communes).

The new Lam Dong province after merging the three provinces of Lam Dong, Binh Thuan and Dak Nong has a total natural area of 24,233 km2; a population of over 3.8 million people, with 124 commune-level administrative units.

With the largest area in Vietnam, Lam Dong province has many strengths to form a dynamic economic region of the Central Highlands and South Central Coast.

• OPEN FISHING GROUNDS

With a territorial sea area of 52 thousand ^square kilometers, Binh Thuan is one of the three largest fishing grounds in Vietnam with an annual catch of 240 thousand tons of various types of seafood for domestic consumption and export.

By the end of 2024, the total number of fishing vessels registered for use in Binh Thuan was over 8,605, of which 2,022 were fishing vessels with a length of 15 m or more. The locality is maintaining the activities of 129 solidarity groups (with 982 boats, 4,910 workers) and 5 fishing unions.

Aquaculture is developing, especially the output of shrimp seeds in 2024 will reach 25.5 billion, providing for shrimp farming nationwide. The output of processed aquatic products in 2024 will reach 47,400 tons compared to 49,100 tons as planned; fish sauce output is estimated at 40.4 million liters. In particular, scallops are a specialty of Binh Thuan sea, concentrated in 4 main beaches: La Khe, Hon Rom, Hon Cau and Phan Ri, allowing a catch of 25 - 30 thousand tons/year.

• ADVANCED AGRICULTURE

For many years, Lam Dong has been the leading locality in the country in terms of high-tech application area, a bright spot in the country in high-tech agricultural production with an area of over 60,200 hectares, accounting for 20% of the cultivated land area. Along with high-tech agricultural models grown in greenhouses, net houses, with automatic and smart irrigation systems, hydroponic farming methods and many new superior plant varieties, Lam Dong agricultural products with the brand name "Da Lat - a miraculous crystallization from the good land" have long dominated the domestic and export markets.

Currently, Lam Dong has a total planting area of over 386 thousand hectares/year, of which the specialized vegetable growing area is over 70 thousand hectares, reaching an output of 2.57 million tons; the specialized flower growing area is over 9,300 hectares, with a harvested output of over 3.65 billion branches; tea is over 12 thousand hectares, with a harvested output of over 174 thousand tons; coffee is over 174 thousand hectares, with a harvested output of over 516 thousand tons/year, of which over 17 thousand Arabica coffees, with an output of over 50 thousand tons, are distributed by Starbucks Corporation in the US to the global distribution system.

Meanwhile, Binh Thuan has over 151,300 hectares of agricultural land, including over 50,000 hectares of rice land and a fairly developed livestock and poultry industry. The locality is planning to develop an additional 100,000 hectares of agricultural land; forming specialized areas for industrial crops and fruit trees.

Currently, the area of dragon fruit cultivation in Binh Thuan province is about 25,800 hectares, with a harvest output of 560 thousand tons/year; there are 16,636 hectares of cashew cultivation with a harvest output of 12,500 tons; 15 thousand hectares of cotton; 45,100 hectares of rubber, with a harvest output of 67,500 tons; 2 thousand hectares of pepper. Binh Thuan also has about 400 thousand hectares of forest and forestry land, with a timber reserve of about 25 million ^m3 , many areas with grasslands can develop cattle and buffalo farms, and establish livestock processing factories. As for Dak Nong, this is the province with the largest coffee cultivation area in the Central Highlands, only after Dak Lak and Lam Dong with about 143 thousand hectares, accounting for nearly 23% of the agricultural area and nearly 60% of the total area of perennial industrial crops in the whole province, of which the area being harvested is 131 thousand hectares; Average yield is about 2.8 tons/ha.

In recent years, Dak Nong has initially formed coffee material areas; farmers have proactively linked with businesses and applied high technology to coffee production with a production area according to certified standards reaching nearly 23 thousand hectares, of which 220 hectares are VietGAP certified, 90 hectares are organic certified; more than 22,500 hectares are certified by other standards (4C, UTZ...).

The new Lam Dong province will have the largest coffee area in the country today with a huge amount of coffee exported every year, bringing a great profit to the province. Along with that is a wide open fishing ground for fishermen; an advanced high-tech agricultural production from Da Lat, from Lam Dong province (old) spreading to the new communes, bringing a great strength to the province's economy.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202506/huong-den-mot-nen-nong-ngu-nghiep-tien-tien-3450af2/