High-tech application still encounters difficulties

Technology innovation in agricultural development in combination with high- tech application in agriculture is the right direction

According to the annual summary report of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), in 2017, science as well as technology themselves had an active role in restructuring the agriculture sector, helping the countryside not only to gain a new appearance but also to increase performance and quality while boosting exporting ability.

Therefore, technology innovation in agricultural development in combination with high- tech application in agriculture is the right direction for Vietnam to increase productivity, quality and value of agricultural products.

Thanks to technology adoption, farmers both make high quality competitive agricultural produces in the domestic and in the globe as well as relevant agencies pay attention to them; thenceforth, farmers feel secured to produce.

Initially, hi-tech agriculture models reaped good fruit in some localities. Farmers are confident to apply technology in agriculture production after training courses and the government’s support.

Director of the cooperative No.12 in village No.4 in Long Khe Commune in Can Duoc District Le Van Giay said adoption of technology in agriculture production makes farmers enable to sell produce at reasonable price; plus they can avoid hostile bid.

Additionally, technology application helps to increase agricultural productivity with average profit of VND50 million ($2,200) per 1,000 square meter of vegetables a year.

Member of the cooperative Tran Van Tan said eagerly for tens of years, planting veggies had not been facilitated like now. Using technology in agriculture production has helped saving fertilizer, water; hence, production costs reduce while farmers received timely support from the government.

Party Secretary in Can Duoc District Nguyen Viet Cuong informed last time technology application in agriculture production gets good results since the Party and the government always take heeds to the matter by sending agriculture staffs from the relevant agencies to provide timely assistance to farmers. Policies to support people have been implemented in time.

However, the piloted models of high-tech application have not satisfied residents’ demand. In next time, the district administration will have additional models such that and create favorable condition so that locals can get assess to technological and scientific applications in agriculture production in order to increase productivity and profits.

Policies to support people have been implemented in time

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, the program to develop adoption of technology in agriculture production still lag well behind the need. Especially, coordination between agencies with unions and localities is tardy in increasing information and the Party and the government’s decrees and policies to residents.

Though agriculture infrastructure is invested, several localities have not fully met the requirements including traffic and irrigation system, electricity for pumping.

Some cooperatives work effectively, others are not because some people thought to join in cooperative to receive the government’s support. Some agriculture models applying technology prove efficient yet the multiplication of the models encountered difficulties because people’s contribution to the models is high with 70 percent while the government just support 30 percent.

Plus, the government has not adopted encouragement policies to carry out the program deeply and to emply advanced technologies.

Director of Hung Phu Cooperative in Khanh Hung Commune in Vinh Hung District Luu Van Hoai said hi-tech farms offer farmers more opportunities in production. Nevertheless, there are just a few the piloting models and the government’s support is limited.

In addition, Mr. Hoai said, farmers get difficulties to access to some impractical policies which are barriers for cooperatives and local governments. Furthermore, policies to encourage enterprises to purchase agricultural produce are adopted for some cases; therefore, farmers have no choice but sell produce to traders who put in hostile bid.

Subsequently, the government should increase support and piloting models to multiply in all districts across the country as well as adopt policies to encourage enterprises to purchase farmers’ produce. One such, models of hi-tech adoption in agriculture is sustainable and successful, Mr. Hoai added.

To push up the hi-tech in agricultural application, experts said that it needs reforms in policies such as preferential land fund, infrastructure, and changes in planning zones for agriculture with hi-tech application on the basis of supply-demand.

Moreover, the government should predict social demand and future need for farmers to invest with attention to hi-tech farms which cultivate the country’s key produce. Infrastructure in such hi-tech farms must be on the top of priority.

For credit policies and beneficiaries, it needs to have different regulations for hi-tech adopted farms of households, cooperatives and enterprises.

Director of Huy Long An Company Vo Quan Huy said to attract investors in hi-tech farms, the province authorities need to facilitate paperwork as well as ensure that all investors are eligible for land support, taxation, VAT, training cost, research and development and piloting production.

Moreover, director Huy continued the government should have incentive program; for instance, investors are eligible for loans with low interest from 0.5-1.5 percent both to encourage investors and ensure commercial banks work as per market mechanism; besides, investors can give farms and greenhouses as security for the loan for further investment.

Vice director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh said that at present, in addition to developing more hi-tech farms in the province, local administrations also carried out preferential policies to draw investors’ attention to pour capital into the sector. Along with this, the province take heeds to zone agriculture land applying hi-tech with the aim to facilititate investors.

Several investors who seek opportunities in Long an province have asked loans from the government’s credit package of VND100,000.

Additionally, the province issued policy to support enterprises in the field of hi-tech agriculture such as support half of equipment cost to increase productivity, hi-technology transfer, new technology adoption, project-making cost. The government will also support warehouse construction cost and packaging with maximum of 30 percent of total expenditure or not exceeding VND2 billion a project./.

By staff writers - Translated by Uyen Phuong