Developing specialized areas associated with key agricultural product value chains

Developing specialized areas associated with the value chain of key agricultural products.mp3

With advantages in land and climate, Chau Thanh district is focusing on developing specialized fruit growing areas associated with the value chain from production to consumption. This is a sustainable direction, contributing to increasing the value of agricultural products and income for local people.

The specialized jackfruit growing area in Chau Thanh is giving high efficiency.

Building specialized agricultural areas

As a land with great potential for agricultural development, Chau Thanh district has identified seedless lemons and jackfruit as two key crops that need to be developed in a concentrated manner. Currently, the whole district has 422 hectares of seedless lemons, with about 357 hectares being harvested and 5,866 hectares of jackfruit, of which about 5,168 hectares are being harvested. The average yield is over 23 tons/ha/year, providing a stable source of income for many farming households in the area.

The formation of concentrated specialized areas in the communes of Dong Thanh, Dong Phuoc A, Dong Phuoc, Phu Tan, Phu Huu and Nga Sau town has contributed to helping people change their mindset from small-scale production to organized production with planning and market orientation, creating favorable conditions for the application of technical advances, synchronizing care and harvesting processes and increasing the ability to control product quality.

In addition, the district promotes the role of cooperatives and cooperatives in connecting farmers with the market. In particular, Thanh Phuoc Agricultural Cooperative in Dong Thanh Commune and Dong Phuoc Organic Jackfruit Cooperative are typical models in linking growing areas with businesses, forming an agricultural value chain from production to consumption.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thiet, Director of Thanh Phuoc Agricultural Cooperative, in Dong Thuan Hamlet, Dong Thanh Commune, shared: “Organizing seedless lemon cultivation in specialized areas and producing according to GlobalGAP standards helps farmers easily control quality, as well as more conveniently approach consuming businesses. When participating in the cooperative, people can rest assured about output, stable selling prices when being purchased at a price 1,000 VND/kg higher than the market price. Every year, 2 to 3 technical support training courses will be organized for members, so production costs are also significantly reduced.”

Towards green, sustainable agriculture

In addition to focusing on developing raw material areas, Chau Thanh also promotes agricultural value chain linkages, creating stable output and increasing income for people. Through coordination with specialized sectors, the district has supported people in building codes for growing and producing areas according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, gradually meeting the requirements of domestic and foreign markets.

To date, the district has had one seedless lemon growing area granted an export code to New Zealand in Dong Phuoc A commune, with an area of 17.1 hectares; 35 hectares of lemons meet GlobalGAP standards and 13 hectares meet VietGAP standards. In particular, fresh lemon products are recognized as 4-star OCOP in 2023, contributing to enhancing the value and brand of local agricultural products.

With jackfruit, the district has developed 7 growing areas with export codes to China, with a total area of about 95 hectares of 68 farming households, along with 93.4 hectares of production according to VietGAP standards and 20 hectares meeting GlobalGAP standards. In addition to fresh fruit, processed jackfruit products such as jackfruit crackers and jackfruit rice paper are also recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards, expanding new directions in processing and consuming agricultural products.

Mr. Vo Hoang An, Director of Dong Phuoc Organic Jackfruit Cooperative, said: “Linking with businesses and being granted a growing area code helps the cooperative’s jackfruit have a stable output, without being forced down by traders. When produced in a safe and standard manner, the product is highly appreciated, easily accessible to the export market, bringing stable and long-term income to members.”

However, linking value chains at the local level still faces certain difficulties. Most production models are still on a small, individual household scale, lacking close linkages. The participation of enterprises is still limited, while the awareness of complying with technical standards of a part of farmers is not high. The implementation of VietGAP and GlobalGAP models still faces obstacles due to high investment costs, many households do not have enough capital to match, or are not interested in participating.

To resolve this situation, Chau Thanh district has developed practical policies. In addition to enhancing technology transfer and improving production organization capacity, the district also proposed adding conditions for loans from the Social Policy Bank associated with participation in rural vocational training courses, or membership in clubs, cooperatives, and cooperatives. At the same time, the locality determined that there must be policies to stabilize production when the market fluctuates, helping farmers retain key crops instead of chasing "seasonal crops".

From the initial results in developing specialized areas and linking value chains, it can be seen that Chau Thanh is on the right track in restructuring the agricultural sector. Not only stopping at production, the district also hopes to build agricultural product brands, bringing typical products to reach far in domestic and foreign markets.

With the synchronous participation of the government, professional sectors, people and businesses, Chau Thanh is gradually affirming its position as the center of safe and high-quality fruit production of the province, contributing to effectively implementing the goal of developing ecological agriculture - modern countryside - civilized farmers.

MAI THANH

Source: https://baohaugiang.com.vn/nong-nghiep-nong-thon/phat-trien-vung-chuyen-canh-gan-voi-chuoi-gia-tri-nong-san-chu-luc-142522.html