Leveraging the advantages of the Cau Riverfront

Taking advantage of its location along the Cau River, Dong Cao ward (Pho Yen City) has actively promoted and encouraged its people to boost agricultural production, focusing on cultivating various types of vegetables and crops.

Leafy greens are being grown on a large scale by residents of Dong Cao ward (Pho Yen city).

Dong Cao ward has a flat terrain and fertile land, especially the area along the Cau River which receives annual alluvial deposits. The people of Dong Cao have experience in producing local vegetables such as water spinach, sweet cabbage, coriander, and green onions.

To effectively exploit these advantages, the People's Committee of Dong Cao Ward has encouraged and mobilized the people to utilize the land for planting vegetables, with a total area of ​​over 80 hectares; and to build a specialized vegetable farming area along the Cau River, with a scale of more than 30 hectares, belonging to the residential groups: Viet Tra, Soi Trai, Rua...

Based on this, the local people have prioritized the development of high -economic- value vegetables suitable for local conditions, such as leafy greens, herbs, and zucchini.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a resident of Soi Trai neighborhood, said: "Compared to some other crops, growing vegetables requires more care, but the growing season is short, allowing for multiple harvests per year and providing a steady income. For over 10 years, my family has maintained a 3-acre plot of various green vegetables. With this area, after deducting expenses, my family earns a profit of over 80 million VND per year (many times higher than rice cultivation). Currently, along with growing some traditional vegetables, I have also added Korean perilla, chayote, etc., to improve our income."

In order to overcome the problem of small-scale and fragmented production and gradually increase the value of agricultural products, the People's Committee of Dong Cao ward has also directed the formation of production and consumption linkages for vegetables between farmers, cooperatives, and businesses. To date, the locality has established one cooperative and one cooperative producing safe vegetables, attracting a large number of members.

Residents of Dong Cao ward (Pho Yen city) are interested in installing greenhouse systems and water-saving irrigation systems to improve crop yields and value. Photo: Provided.

Ms. Dinh Thi Thu, Director of Dong Cao Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: "Established in 2017, we have now attracted more than 20 members to participate in the production of safe vegetables on an area of ​​7 hectares. In each season, we agree that each member will plant different types of vegetables to avoid oversupply. On average, the cooperative supplies more than 12 tons of various vegetables and tubers to the market each month, with revenue exceeding 500 million VND. In addition to supplying green vegetables to collective kitchens, restaurants, and eateries in Hanoi, the cooperative has partnered with Nguyen Viet Co., Ltd. (Minh Duc commune, Pho Yen city) to produce starch from watercress, perilla, spinach, etc."

To encourage and mobilize people to expand the area of ​​vegetable cultivation, every year, the People's Committee of Dong Cao ward coordinates the organization of 30-50 training courses to guide people on techniques for planting and caring for vegetables according to VietGAP standards, organic farming methods, as well as applying science and technology to production. This not only contributes to reducing production costs and increasing crop yields, but also ensures food quality and safety, meeting the increasingly high demands of the market.

To date, the entire ward has over 30 hectares equipped with greenhouses and water-saving irrigation systems, and more than 10 hectares have been certified VietGAP. As a result, crops grow healthily, investment costs are reduced, and income increases by 1.5-2 million VND/sao/crop.

Thanks to the advantages of riverside land along the Cau River, long-standing farming traditions, and the right direction and appropriate policies, the cultivation and development of vegetables in Dong Cao ward not only meets market demand but also significantly contributes to increasing people's income.

In 2024, the total vegetable production of the ward reached over 10,000 tons; average per capita income reached over 60 million VND/person/year (an increase of more than 3 million VND compared to 2023); and the poverty rate decreased to 0.36%.

Mr. Tran Van Toan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Cao Ward, said: In the coming time, the ward will continue to promote its image, build brands, and establish links to find markets for green vegetables. At the same time, it will leverage the role of cooperatives and production groups in safe vegetable production, expand markets to focus on investment and development, seek partners in production and consumption, and enhance the value of crops.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202505/phat-huy-loi-the-ven-song-cau-b6109ef/