Pha Long enters a new production season.

These days, along with other highland localities in Lao Cai province, Pha Long commune is entering the planting season. Given the dry weather conditions, the local authorities are paying special attention to selecting suitable crops and organizing appropriate production.

Pha Long commune is a mountainous border area with a predominantly hilly and fragmented terrain and a harsh climate; the population is mostly ethnic minorities, whose livelihoods mainly depend on agricultural production.

As the summer-autumn planting season approaches, people across villages and hamlets are busily preparing the land and planting various crops. This year, in addition to traditional crops like peanuts, soybeans, and corn, some households have boldly participated in a pilot sweet corn cultivation model implemented by the local authorities. This is considered a new direction to enhance the value of agricultural production and select crops suitable to the local climate and soil conditions.

People in Pha Long commune are preparing the land and planting various crops.

Mr. Chau Seo Pao, from Ta Lu village, Pha Long commune - one of the households participating in the model - said that previously, the entire hillside area of ​​his family was mainly used to grow traditional corn, which, although yielding a stable harvest, did not bring high economic value.

“Thanks to the awareness campaign and encouragement, this year I boldly decided to set aside a portion of my hillside land to participate in the pilot sweet corn cultivation model. I hope that this new crop will yield better productivity and prices, helping to increase income and improve my family's living standards,” Mr. Pao shared.

The sweet corn cultivation model was implemented on a scale of 2 hectares, with the participation of 10 households. This crop requires advanced cultivation techniques and is highly dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, the local government directed the commune's agricultural extension service to coordinate with specialized units to regularly monitor the fields, guiding farmers from planting, planting density, and timing to care and pest control, in order to ensure good plant growth and development.

According to Mr. Tran Van Thang, Head of the Economic Department of Pha Long commune, this crop has a short growing season and is expected to yield 1.5 to 2 times more than traditional corn.

We worked with the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment and connected with businesses to survey the actual conditions. The results showed that sweet corn is adaptable to the local climate and geological conditions, so we advised the commune to implement a pilot model. After harvesting, the corn will be 100% purchased by the business, increasing income for the people.

Mr. Tran Van Thang - Head of the Economic Department of Pha Long Commune

In the context of climate change, agricultural production in Pha Long commune is facing many challenges, especially prolonged drought, which directly affects productivity and farming efficiency. In response to this reality, the locality is promoting various solutions to proactively adapt; focusing on researching and testing suitable crop varieties, while ensuring water resources for production.

The pilot sweet corn cultivation model in Pha Long commune opens up prospects for improving production efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Luan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Pha Long commune, said that due to frequent droughts in the area, the locality has identified proactively securing water resources as one of the important factors for sustainable agricultural production development. Therefore, the commune focuses on mobilizing resources to invest in irrigation works, while upgrading the canal system; encouraging people to utilize streams and natural water sources for storage and actively reviewing and proposing the construction of projects such as elevated reservoirs.

In addition, the commune is gradually reshaping its crop structure towards diversification, suitable to natural conditions and market demands. Many economically valuable crops such as tea, bananas, various vegetables, and medicinal plants continue to be maintained and expanded in area. Among them, tea plays a key role as the main crop with a scale of nearly 300 hectares, stable production, creating jobs and a regular source of income for the people.

Agricultural extension officers inspect and guide farmers in planting sweet corn.

Changes in agricultural production in Pha Long are contributing to the province's policy of developing commercial agriculture linked to sustainable poverty reduction. The transformation of crop structure, expansion of effective models, and strengthening of consumption linkages are gradually increasing production value and creating stable, long-term livelihoods for the people.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/pha-long-vao-vu-san-xuat-moi-post898066.html