Pangasius products have been exported to over 80 countries and territories around the world.
Convergence potential
According to Mr. Le Minh Hoan, former Minister of Agriculture and Environment , the new province will own the largest agricultural land fund in the country, with more than 1.3 million hectares of rice cultivation annually, with an output of nearly 9 million tons. "With a cultivated area of about 620,000 hectares, an output of more than 4 million tons of rice/year, An Giang is one of the provinces playing an important role in ensuring national food security" - Mr. Le Minh Hoan affirmed.
An Giang has the advantage of fertile alluvial soil, good irrigation system, long-standing tradition of rice cultivation, and tra - basa fish farming. Meanwhile, Kien Giang is strong in coastal areas, mangrove ecosystems and brackish water, suitable for shrimp farming, marine fish and bivalve molluscs. The two provinces also have strengths in human resources, such as: Hardworking, experienced farmers, who have been involved in agriculture for a long time. Along with that, the processing and production system is increasingly invested in modernity. When connected, this will be a comprehensive agricultural complex in terms of ecology, diverse plants and breeds, able to apply high technology and aiming for a sustainable agricultural development.
“In addition to contributing to food production, the province is also the second largest pangasius production center in the country, with a closed value chain from the seed stage to the export market. In addition, fruit growing areas such as durian, mango, orange, grapefruit, and longan are built according to VietGAP standards and have growing area codes. This is a favorable condition for the province to become the agricultural center of the region,” said Mr. Nguyen Si Lam, former Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of An Giang.
Meanwhile, Kien Giang holds the “record” for rice production, with more than 700,000 hectares of cultivation per year, harvesting over 4.7 million tons. Kien Giang has a long coastline, a large brackish-salt water area, helping the province strongly develop aquaculture, especially shrimp-rice models, high-tech shrimp, and cage fish farming. In recent times, this province has also achieved many achievements in building new rural areas, with increasingly complete agricultural infrastructure.
“To build the new An Giang province into an agricultural center of the Mekong Delta, a synchronous development strategy is needed. In particular, there needs to be in-depth planning for each ecological region, this is a prerequisite for turning the new An Giang into an agricultural center of the region” - Dr. Le Quang Vinh, Head of the Department of Basic Theory, Ton Duc Thang University of Politics, commented. Specifically, Kien Giang province, in addition to developing high-quality rice and salt-tolerant plants (coconut, pineapple, custard apple), needs to promote marine aquaculture and brackish water aquaculture. The old An Giang region continues to have strengths in specialty rice, raising tra, basa, freshwater fish, and high-value fruit trees. This planning will be the basis for forming a large raw material area, facilitating the linkage of production, processing and consumption of agricultural products.
Scientists are working with farmers to select and create rice varieties to serve the province's export program.
Development planning
Accordingly, the three pillars for planning and developing An Giang to become the agricultural center of the region include: the State, enterprises and farmers. To promote advantages, the agricultural sector needs to promote the application of science and technology and digital transformation in production, such as: Applying smart farming models (sensors, water-saving irrigation, weather analysis), agricultural products with traceable origins. At the same time, promoting the development of processing plants, cold storage, logistics services; building regional brands for key products, such as: ST rice, ASC pangasius, clean fruit, organic shrimp, etc.
“In this issue, the government plays a very important role in creating and coordinating. Realizing this issue, the province is reviewing the regional planning, prioritizing investment in transport - irrigation infrastructure, logistics service systems, strengthening the planning of seed centers to serve production, and promoting trade for agricultural products…” - Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Mung shared.
“The State needs to have preferential policies on credit, tax, land... as a driving force to attract businesses to invest in agriculture, including high-tech agriculture,” said former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan. According to Mr. Le Minh Hoan, businesses need to play the role of “midwife”, building and organizing stable raw material areas, connecting with farmers through consumption contracts. Promote the application of technology in production, processing and product distribution.
“Talking about businesses without mentioning farmers is not enough. People need to change their mindset from small-scale production to professional production, learn new techniques, practice clean production, participate in new cooperatives, produce according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP standards... to achieve higher efficiency..." - Mr. Doan Toi, General Director of Nam Viet Joint Stock Company commented.
With outstanding natural potential, solid infrastructure, and consensus between the State - enterprises - farmers, the "new An Giang" province has all the conditions to become a green, sustainable, high-tech agricultural center of the region and deeply integrated into the international market.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/xay-dung-an-giang-moi-tro-thanh-trung-tam-nong-nghiep-cua-vung-a422540.html
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