Meo Vac promotes conversion of crop structure

BHG - Changing the crop structure is one of the important solutions that Meo Vac district is promoting to increase added value, create jobs, increase income for people and sustainably reduce poverty.

Vice Chairman of Meo Vac District People's Committee, Le Xuan Huong, said: Meo Vac is a mountainous area, most of the production land area is rocky, fragmented, steep; people mainly cultivate traditional crops such as corn, local rice with low productivity, low economic efficiency. Therefore, changing the crop structure is an urgent requirement to effectively exploit land, improve livelihoods and promote comprehensive socio-economic development.

Growing watermelon helps people in Nam Ban commune increase their income.

To effectively transform the crop structure, Meo Vac district has synchronously deployed many practical solutions. Accordingly, the district has surveyed soil and climate conditions to orient the appropriate crop types for each commune; at the same time, it has promoted propaganda and mobilized people to change their production mindset, shifting from self-sufficiency to commodity production. In addition, the district has also promoted research, transfer, and application of science and technology in production, processing, and business, replicating typical good production and business models; flexibly integrating the conversion of crop structure with the implementation of economic development programs and projects, creating livelihoods for people.

The conversion of crop structure in Meo Vac has initially brought about many clear results, contributing to changing the face of the countryside and improving people's lives. Many farming households, after switching from growing corn and upland rice to growing high-value crops, have had stable incomes, on average 2-3 times higher than before. In addition to economic efficiency, the conversion also helps people gradually change their production mindset, know how to apply techniques, and cultivate in the direction of commodities. Many poor households have boldly borrowed capital to invest in expanding their cultivation area, thereby having the opportunity to escape poverty.

People in Meo Vac town converted ineffective land to grow lemon trees to improve economic efficiency.

Niem Tong commune is one of the typical localities in implementing crop structure conversion, especially converting ineffective corn land to cassava. From the initial 2-hectare trial planting of cassava in Po Qua village, up to now, the commune has mobilized people to convert and expand to nearly 100 hectares. According to the assessment of the commune leaders, cassava is suitable for local soil conditions; economic efficiency is higher than corn, yield is about 20 tons/ha, the value is about 20 million VND/ha. Another advantage is that cassava rarely fails; care and harvesting are simple, easy to sell, and traders come to the garden to buy.

In Nam Ban commune, realizing that Vi Ke village has suitable land and terrain conditions, over the past 3 years, the commune government has promoted, mobilized, and guided 13 households in Vi Ke village to convert more than 5 hectares of vegetable land to watermelon cultivation. Mr. Hoang Van Lu, Head of Vi Ke village, who is also a pioneer in converting to the watermelon growing model, shared: "Not only does it provide higher productivity and economic value, growing watermelon also helps the village form a concentrated production area, gradually developing agriculture in the direction of commodities. Notably, from 2022 to now, 4 households in the village have escaped poverty thanks to growing watermelon."

Despite initial results, the process of crop restructuring in Meo Vac district is still facing many difficulties and challenges. First of all, the farming and production practices of the people are still fragmented and small-scale, making the application of technical advances and mechanization difficult. In addition, many households are not bold enough to change crops due to concerns about risks and lack of investment capital. In addition, rural infrastructure such as roads and irrigation in many communes is still limited, causing difficulties in transporting and consuming agricultural products. Some new crops, although suitable for natural conditions, do not have a stable market and lack links with enterprises to consume products. These factors require Meo Vac district to have synchronous, long-term solutions and stronger participation from all levels and sectors to remove obstacles and ensure sustainable crop restructuring.

Article and photos: TRAN KE

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/kinh-te/202506/meo-vac-day-manh-chuyen-doi-co-cau-cay-trong-6e517ac/