Promoting Organic Agriculture Development

Yen Bai recognizes the pivotal role of agriculture as a cornerstone for sustainable socio-economic development. In line with this vision, the Yen Bai Provincial Party Committee promulgated Resolution 20 on January 20, 2021on agricultural development aimed at enhancing quality, efficiency, and added value. Concurrently, the province has instituted comprehensive mechanisms, policies, and projects to elevate the productivity of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Sustainable fish farming in Thac Ba Lake

Fostering a green and sustainable agricultural economy

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Bai province reported the province’s concerted effort to expand raw material plantation areas with a focus on organic products and specialties. These encompass a high-quality specialty rice area spanning 3,000 hectares, 15,000 hectares of corn, 81,000 hectares of cinnamon, 7,000 hectares of tea, 6,000 hectares of Bat Do bamboo, and 10,000 hectares each of medlar trees and fruit trees.

The province boasts 10 specialty and organic products, aligned with the flourishing development of OCOP (One Commune, One Product) items. Notable examples include Tu Le sticky rice, organic Shan tea, Dai Minh grapefruit, Luc Yen orange, Lam Thuong gourd duck, highland specialty black chicken, native pig, medlar, and organic cinnamon and medicinal plants. In lowland areas, specialized agricultural raw material zones have been established along the value chain, complete with planting area codes, product barcodes, traceability measures, and adherence to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. This approach to concentrated commodity production has contributed to a transformative shift in producer awareness and mindset, while simultaneously enhancing the value of agricultural products.

Yen Bai province recognizes tea as a key crop

Yen Binh district of Yen Bai province is actively developing safe aquaculture, with businesses and households prioritizing the adoption of VietGAP and organic principles, emphasizing biological factors, fish safety, and environmental protection. Mr. Dao Van Minh, technician of Hoang Kim Fisheries Cooperative (Yen Binh district), said that clean water from Thac Ba Lake provides an ideal environment for cultivating safe fish.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien, Deputy Director of the Yen Bai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, underscored the province's commitment to selecting and developing plant varieties resistant to pests and diseases, thereby reducing reliance on pesticides. Moreover, the agricultural sector has embraced innovative technologies for livestock waste treatment, generating organic fertilizer sources for on-site use and minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers. The province continues to expand the application of technical solutions, production standards, and good agricultural practices, aiming to produce organic agricultural products characterized by green, safe, and sustainable practices.

Shift in production mindset

Yen Bai is poised to persistently restructure its agricultural sector, aligning with the new rural construction program to enhance quality, efficiency, and added value. The province is transitioning from an entrenched "agricultural production" mindset to an "agricultural economy" perspective, with the ultimate goal of creating highly competitive agricultural products for both domestic and international markets. This shift is integral to Yen Bai's trajectory towards ecological agriculture, modern countryside development, and the cultivation of a sophisticated farming community.

Mr. Tran Huy Tuan, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Yen Bai province, affirmed the province's dedication to allocating resources for the restructuring of the agricultural sector. The resources are directed toward large-scale, concentrated commodity production, coupled with a focus on improving the quality, efficiency, and added value of products to meet market demands. The province is also actively developing key, specialty, organic and OCOP products, while fostering strong links between production and consumption, thus accelerating the transition from an agricultural production mindset to an agricultural economy perspective.

Yen Bai shifts from an agricultural production mindset to an agricultural economy perspective, aiming to produce highly competitive agricultural products for both domestic and international markets

To build a highly efficient, fast-growing, and sustainable agriculture associated with building advanced new rural areas and model new rural areas, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Duc Dien said that Yen Bai province continues to synchronously and effectively implement tasks and solutions. These include promoting the restructuring of the agricultural sector toward large-scale and safe commodity production, applying high technology, creating sustainable, high-quality, and competitive products, rapidly developing large-scale concentrated production areas, and applying advanced and modern production processes associated with processing and preservation to improve product quality, lower costs, increase the competitiveness of goods, increase added value and sustainable development.

Yen Bai province continues to implement the New Rural Development Program for the 2021–2025 period. The province is focusing on direct investment in agricultural production development programs and infrastructure construction, building advanced new rural areas and model new rural areas, ensuring the good implementation of social security policies in rural areas, and helping poor and near-poor households develop production to escape poverty. At the same time, the province is strengthening investment attraction and improving public investment management in rural areas in association with ecological environment protection.

By Bao Dan, Vietnam Business Forum