In recent years, farmers have had to face many difficulties and challenges due to the high prices of input materials, from fertilizers, pesticides, shrimp and fish feed to production equipment. Meanwhile, the prices of agricultural products are always unstable, and many crops have almost no profit for farmers. Therefore, farmers are required to flexibly change their production, apply appropriate cost-saving solutions, and reduce production costs.
A shrimp farmer in Hiep Thanh commune ( Bac Lieu city) feeds food into an automatic shrimp feeder.
Apply new techniques
According to statistics from the industry, the annual cost of rice production fluctuates around 25 - 27 million VND/ha. The reason for the high cost of rice production is that people overuse fertilizers and pesticides. To encourage farmers to apply scientific and technical advances in production and reduce costs, the provincial Department of Agriculture has implemented many production methods for farmers to reduce the amount of fertilizer, replacing chemical fertilizers with cheaper biological fertilizers. At the same time, using biological fertilizers will increase the soil's buffer, reduce pests and diseases in the fields, improve quality and increase product value.
In addition, the sparse sowing method to reduce the amount of seeds is also one of the keys for farmers to reduce costs. Because rice is sown at the recommended rate: sowing no more than 80kg/ha for broadcast sowing and no more than 60kg/ha for row sowing, sowing in clusters, rice will be provided with more adequate nutrients to grow without needing much fertilizer and when less fertilizer is applied, there will be less pests and diseases, so less chemicals are used, this has led to a clear reduction in production costs for farmers.
Mr. Le Thanh Tu - Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, said: "In the past, the Department has successfully piloted many models of economical farming and then expanded them for farmers to apply. From there, it helps reduce input costs and increase end-of-season profits for farmers. At the same time, more and more farmers are boldly applying new farming techniques, thereby creating clean, quality agricultural products to supply the market."
Fertilizing and spraying chemicals are quite common technical measures, bringing great efficiency in productivity, playing a very important and decisive role for the crop. However, improper use and abuse will push up the cost of crop production, causing farmers to produce low profits. Therefore, applying the method of reducing chemical fertilizers and pesticides is very necessary. This has been proven when farmers participate in production according to this method, it is quite effective.
Farmers in Hong Dan district use rice seeding machines to reduce early crop costs. Photo: CL
Reduce production costs
Not only rice, shrimp farming has also encountered difficulties in recent times, as input material prices have continuously increased and remained high. Therefore, many shrimp farmers have applied cost-saving farming solutions to maintain profits. Because normally, the production cost for 1kg of 100-piece shrimp ranges from 75,000 - 80,000 VND and will increase if raised to large sizes, so when the price of 100-piece shrimp falls below 80,000 VND, farmers will certainly not make a profit even if they catch a lot of shrimp. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoat (Hiep Thanh commune, Bac Lieu city) shared: “Shrimp prices are constantly fluctuating while the prices of feed and equipment for shrimp farming have continuously increased in recent times. Only when input costs are reduced can shrimp farmers hope to make a profit. Not only that, with shrimp, we must always closely monitor and observe carefully to provide the right pond environment that the shrimp need to avoid ineffectively abusing drugs without bringing high benefits.”
Promoting these results, in the coming time, the seafood industry will continue to popularize and replicate new production forms associated with chain linkages to sustainably develop the shrimp industry.
Although it has only been formed and developed for a few years, the cost-saving production method applied to rice production and shrimp farming will open up many new opportunities in production that the agricultural sector is aiming for: Developing smart, circular agriculture, international integration, adapting to climate change, and increasing value. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Xuan - Head of the provincial Department of Fisheries, said: "In addition to encouraging shrimp farming households to apply technical advances to reduce production costs and increase profits at the end of the season, the Department also supports farmers in protecting the environment, proactively preventing and treating diseases that may arise, as well as grasping market information to make appropriate calculations, aiming to build a brand for Bac Lieu shrimp in the market".
Currently, Bac Lieu farmers are entering the summer-autumn rice crop, a crop that is always considered to face the most difficulties and challenges of the year. In the new hope of a recovering consumer market, it is hoped that with the solutions of the functional sector in connecting farmers to modern agriculture, focusing on improving the quality of agricultural products, it will help Bac Lieu's agricultural products fly higher and further.
Khoi Nguyen
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