Hau Giang Agriculture to See Many Breakthroughs

According to Mr Nguyen Van Dong, Director of Hau Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Resolution 26 is the most comprehensive so far, covering all issues of agriculture, farmers and rural area in Vietnam, and is expected to open a new period for this sector’s strong development. Thus, with a focus on investment into agriculture, farmers and rural area will bring big opportunities for Hau Giang agriculture to boost development in all aspects.

Although the plan for 2011 was implemented in the context of many difficulties, with the tireless effort of the whole sector, in the past year,  Hau Giang agriculture and rural area continued to see good growth with improved rural living conditions.

 

Particularly, according to the data released by General Statistics Office, economic growth (VA) in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture sector (sector I) was up by 5.3 percent (planned to be 4-5 percent); production value (GO – compared with 1994) was up by 7.2 percent (planned to be 5-6 percent); the percentage in sector I accounted for 31.73 percent in VA structure, down by 2.33 percent against 2010; the percentage of farm households using drinkable water was 83 percent (planned to be 83 percent); 11 communes met 10 – 15 requirements to built new rural area. Concerning cultivation, rice still played the role of main crop with the total area of 83.040 hectares, increasing the total cultivation area to 212.738 hectares, equal to 106 percent against 2010 or up by 2,067 hectares. Besides, rice productivity was 53 quintals per hectare, up by 1.3 quintal per hectare against 2010; total production was 1,128,496 tonnes, exceeding by 38,445 tonnes against 2010 (making a record so far). In addition, there were many other high value crops such as sugar cane, fruit-trees, and pineapples. Livestock also saw growth with over 2,000 buffalos, increasing by 8 percent; over 117,700 pigs, decreasing by 9 percent; 6,392 hectares aquaculture bringing production of 63,591.67 tonnes, up by 34 percent against 2010.

 

Mr Dong said that such achievements were the results of Hau Giang Agriculture’s continuous attention to technical training for farmers. In 2011, there were 1,262 training courses with over 31,004 participants; 29 conferences with 11,233 participants and 57 study tours with 1,333 attendees. Notably, 4 direct seminars on fruit trees, sugar cane, rice and pineapples were held with the participation of over 100 farmers in each. It was estimated that by the end of 2011, there were 233,570 farmers (40.15 percent of the total) receiving training; 72,090 farm households (61.96 percent) entitled with good production; 21,423 farm households (29.71 percent) generating turnover of more than VND 70 million. At the same time, coordination with Southern Horticultural Research Institute was established to use purple mushroom to prevent pineapple bugs in Vi Thanh City.

Hau Giang also continued 26 research projects through 44 agricultural and aquaculture extension models. In 2011 alone, 13 more projects were approved in the agricultural sector. GIS application was used to assess and warn of rice diseases in Hau Giang province. Technology was transferred about raising and using green mushroom Metarhizium anisopliae(Ma) to prevent brown back rice plant hopper and other rice pests. The community participated in organized activities to control the hopper.

 

Besides, the sector also sent young technicians in agricultural modernization – industrialization to rural areas. Particularly, in phase I, the pilot implementation was successful with 215 technical officers sent to communes.

 

According to Mr Dong, Resolution 26 will create preferential conditions to assist farmers more effectively, support irrigation and technical infrastructure development, rural transportation expansion; improve educational level and training, shift rural labour structure; study, transfer and apply technology (new variety, new techniques and tools, new cultivation methods); provide allowance to adjust agricultural structure; to pay for environmental programmes supporting difficult areas for producers through the programme “electricity – road – school – station”; thereby better serving production development in an effective and timely manner. At the same time, it encourages and promotes the efficiency of investments from economic sectors into agriculture.

 

DARD also stated that boosting agricultural industrialization and modernization in livestock and cultivation will generate high yield varieties of high quality and resistant to unfavourable weather and epidemics. Fostering activities in variety selection, quality improvement, investment into production, processing technology and post-harvest preservation mechanization will help increase product value per area, raising agricultural labour productivity and improving local incomes and living standards. Attention will be paid to mechanizing cultivation and increasing post-harvest processing technology.

 

There was also emphasis on investment into rural infrastructure, expansion of agricultural, forestry, aquaculture, industrial, business extension system, vocational training for farmers, protection of eco-environmental and natural resources such as land, water, forest, and sea. Post-harvest technologies such as drying, storing, delivery and processing of agro-forestry and aquaculture products were industrialized. Agricultural product collection networks were re-organized to more closely link enterprises and farm households with the Farmer’s Union and relevant scientists. Policies were introduced to create jobs for farmers in slow season, promote agricultural, non-agricultural work and services in the rural area to attract farm labourers.

 

Hau Giang targets development indicators of agriculture to 2015 as following: Economic growth (VA) in 5 years in sector I is up by 5-5.5 percent, (aiming at 5.5-6 percent) on average; percentage of sector I is down to 22-23 percent, increase production value in sector I by 5.7 – 6.2 percent per year; sector I’s production value structure is Agriculture – 77 percent, Forestry – 2 percent, Aquaculture – 21 percent; (in agriculture sector: cultivation – 65 percent, livestock – 20 percent, service – 15 percent); turnover averages VND 70-80 million per hectare per year, profit is over 30 percent; income per capita in the rural area is VND 15 million/person; export turnover from agricultural, forestry and aquaculture is equal or more than US $350 million per year and temporarily store 150,000-200,000 tonnes rice for food security; by 2015, there will be 20 percent of communes (11-12 ones) meet 19/19 criteria, 17 meet 13/19 criteria; 20 meet 10/19 criteria; and 7 meet 8/19 criteria of new rural area.