Determined to change its agricultural growth model, agricultural restructuring linked to the new countryside construction program of Binh Thuan province has produced very satisfactory results over the past years.
Specifically, in crop production, Binh Thuan province advocates linking investment in irrigation system development with scientific and technological application for higher crop productivity, quality and efficiency. In 2018, the province's food output reached 812,130 tons, 2.2% higher than the plan of 795,000 tons and 7.1% higher than in 2013. The province shifted to grow other crops on 2,102 ha of ineffective rice cultivation land; launched the cooperation program of farmers, businesses, scientists and authorities for 1,249 ha of farming land; grew high-quality rice on 3,000 ha. Binh Thuan had 10,160 ha of VietGAP-certified dragon fruit in 2018, 2.8% higher than the plan of 9,800 ha and 12.1% higher than in 2013.
Animal husbandry has positively shifted to larger-scale farming with better disease and environmental safety control. Binh Thuan province has attracted big animal farming projects. In fisheries, the province has focused on developing offshore fishing fleets, upheld the task of national defense in territorial waters according to Party and State guidelines. Its fish production reached 218,000 tons in 2018, an increase of 17,312 tons over 2013; and baby shrimp output amounted at 23.9 billion posts, up 36.9%.
Binh Thuan has also supported and facilitated all economic sectors to invest in mechanization and processing of agricultural, forest and fish products. Safe food supply chain development was focused for both agricultural and fish products, helping better control safe food chains for many necessary consumer goods. Currently, Binh Thuan agriculture and fishery products have been exported to 71 countries and territories around the world and favored by consumers.
To enhance productivity, quality, and competitiveness of commercial agricultural products, scientific and technological application to agricultural production has been paid special attention by the province by developing VietGAP-certified dragon fruit production cooperation models, completing the 2,000-ha project for high-tech applied agricultural area in Bac Binh district, preparing for the operation of Chi Cong aquatic breed production zone to attract high-tech shrimp breeding companies, supporting and facilitating high-tech production models, applying water-saving irrigation technologies to key plants on 18,000 ha of arid soil.
The face of new countryside of Binh Thuan province has been lifted with production development and farmers' improved incomes. In 2018, Binh Thuan had seven more communes meeting the new countryside standards, bringing total certified communes to 56, accounting for 58.33% of total communes in the province, higher than the national average. Its per capita income reached VND37.2 million a year. Life quality of rural people has been increasingly raised.
Mr. Mai Kieu, Director of Binh Thuan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said, with its strategic goal of building smart, modern, competitive and climate-resilient agriculture, increasing added values, sustaining development with rural economic development and building prosperous countryside, in the coming time, Binh Thuan will continue to focus on restructuring agriculture linked to new countryside construction so as to make the most of the advantages of each locality and each product, and creating products based on productivity tied to consumer markets. In particular, the province focused on concretizing and effectively implementing Decree 57/2018/ND-CP of the Government, paid attention to drawing investment capital for high-tech agriculture, smart agriculture and human resource development, which are considered breakthrough factors to improve productivity, quality and competitiveness of Binh Thuan agricultural products.
At the same time, Binh Thuan province has mobilized resources to implement cooperation policies, linked production with consumption according to the Government’s Decree 98/2018/ND-CP and adopted the one commune one product (OCOP) program in 2018-2020. The province has continued to speed up agricultural restructuring in association with changing the growth model towards building a concentrated, large-scale commodity production areas, effectively tapping advantages of each region and each product, developing agriculture and rural economy and raising material and spiritual life of people. By the end of 2019, Binh Thuan targets to have four more communes certified to meet new countryside standards to bring its certified communes to 60 out of 96 communes. Phan Thiet City will complete the new countryside construction program in 2019.
Duc Binh