Tuyen Quang is exploiting its potential for producing high-quality vegetables and flowers.

After the merger, Tuyen Quang province now has a large land area with diverse soil and climate. These are favorable conditions for the province to develop high-quality vegetable and flower production areas to improve people's income and move towards building a modern and sustainable agricultural sector.

Ms. Vuong Thi Kinh, from Lang Vang 2 village, Vi Xuyen commune, earns a stable income thanks to growing safe vegetables.

Tuyen Quang has rich natural conditions, stretching from the midland and low hills to the high mountains, with many areas enjoying a cool climate year-round. Compared to many other localities, the province has an advantage in possessing diverse ecological zones suitable for developing both tropical and temperate vegetables and flowers.

The entire province of Tuyen Quang currently has 31,000 hectares of various vegetables and flowers, of which vegetables account for the majority with nearly 28,000 hectares, with an average yield of nearly 74 quintals/hectare and a production of over 205,000 tons. Several specialized temperate vegetable and flower growing areas have been established in the province, including the high-altitude areas of Dong Van karst plateau; and in the midland and low mountainous areas such as Son Duong, Yen Son, An Tuong, Minh Xuan, Vi Xuyen, and Ha Giang , there are two areas for growing safe and organic vegetables.

In Dong Van commune, a specialized vegetable growing area has been established with nearly 7 hectares dedicated to off-season cabbage cultivation; while in Quan Ba ​​commune, hundreds of households have developed a concentrated vegetable growing area covering 150 hectares. Many localities have formed effective vegetable production linkages, such as the production linkage project between Moc Vien Cooperative and 166 households cultivating 18 hectares of green squash in Con Lon and Yen Hoa communes; and the Xin Man-MISAKI Agricultural Products Cooperative linking with local people to produce 82 hectares of radishes and 45 hectares of shallots in Xin Man and Pa Vay Su communes for export to Japan. Thai Hoa, a lowland commune along the Lo River, has potential for vegetable and flower production.

In 2023, several vegetable-growing households in the commune jointly established the Ninh Thai Safe Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative. After three years of establishment, the cooperative currently has 21 members with over 8 hectares of vegetable cultivation area, generating tens of billions of VND in revenue annually. Mr. Tong Xuan An, Deputy Director of the Cooperative, said that the entire vegetable production process of the members is standardized according to VietGAP standards. The products are also more diverse, ensuring a year-round supply of fresh and delicious agricultural products.

Currently, the cooperative supplies more than 4 tons of vegetables to the market daily, mainly to school cafeterias, organic food stores, and large restaurants in the province. Many households participating in the cooperative have a stable source of income, a typical example being the family of Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, Ninh Thai village, Thai Hoa commune, who has many years of experience growing fragrant gourds on an area of ​​nearly 1,000 m2. Since joining the cooperative, with technical support, seeds, and a stable market, her family harvests more than 10 tons of gourds annually, selling them at prices ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 VND/kg.

In reality, vegetable and flower production in Tuyen Quang province still faces many limitations. The cultivated area remains fragmented and small-scale, with most households having only 0.2 to 0.5 hectares, scattered across many areas. This makes it difficult to apply mechanization, advanced techniques, or standardize production processes, leading to low productivity and output, difficulties in quality control, and products that do not meet the standards for export or distribution to large supermarkets.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tu, Deputy Head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department of Tuyen Quang province, vegetables and flowers are crops that bring high income to people, but the market for these products remains a challenge. Currently, the products produced by farmers are mainly sold through traders, resulting in unstable and fluctuating prices. In mountainous communes, difficult transportation conditions, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of irrigation water create obstacles to the formation of large-scale vegetable and flower production areas.

Furthermore, investment capital for high-tech agriculture is limited; people do not have sufficient loans to invest in greenhouses, net houses, water-saving irrigation systems, or growth control technologies. Farmers mainly still produce using traditional techniques, are slow to adopt science and technology, while the number of technical staff at the grassroots level is small and insufficient to meet the needs for guidance and technology transfer.

To leverage natural advantages and orient the province's vegetable and flower production development towards high quality, modernity, sustainability, and market demand by 2030, localities will plan and concentrate vegetable and flower production according to ecological sub-regions. Specifically: The midland and low mountainous areas will develop safe and organic vegetables; the Dong Van karst plateau will form a center for the production of temperate and off-season vegetables. Along with this, high-tech agricultural production models will be expanded, applying greenhouses, net houses, drip irrigation, hydroponics, and aeroponics; and digital transformation in quality control and traceability will be strengthened.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tu, Head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Sub-Department of Tuyen Quang province, the relevant agencies will strengthen human resource training, open technical training courses, develop a force of young farmers capable of applying new technologies, and enhance cooperation with research institutes and universities. They will also focus on attracting businesses and cooperatives to build production and consumption chains for farmers.

In addition, the province continues to invest in improving processing infrastructure and cold storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance the ability to sell to larger markets. Currently, Tuyen Quang province is also focusing on investing in transportation infrastructure connecting different regions within the province and between the province and the surrounding areas, thereby shortening the time and cost of transporting vegetables and flowers to major markets.

Text and photos: KHANH TOAN, HAI CHUNG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tuyen-quang-khai-thac-tiem-nang-san-xuat-rau-hoa-chat-luong-cao-post929914.html