Improve quality and value of crops and livestock

Focus on using certified rice varieties

Rice varieties play an important role in determining productivity, output and profits for growers. However, in the production process, some farmers have not paid due attention to the role of certified rice varieties due to various reasons such as high prices, focusing on one type of variety, so there is not enough seed supply for the market.

On the other hand, some farmers have not fully realized the importance of seed quality, so they still use rice from the previous crop as seeds for the next crop. Therefore, after many crops, rice varieties become degraded, mixed, infected with pests and diseases, resulting in low productivity and poor quality.

Since implementing the Program for Developing High-Tech Agriculture in conjunction with Restructuring the agricultural sector, farmers have gradually changed their production practices, the area using certified rice varieties has reached 85-90% of the total cultivated area of ​​the province, the area sown with more than 150kg of seeds has decreased sharply to 100-120kg/hectare, including many individual models of 80-90kg/hectares. In particular, the seed structure is also suitable for each crop season, focusing on high-quality varieties.

Tien Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Thuan Nghia Hoa Commune, Thanh Hoa District) is producing 100 hectares of certified rice varieties and all of them are guaranteed from the beginning of the season

Tien Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Thuan Nghia Hoa Commune, Thanh Hoa District) is one of the pioneers in using and producing certified rice varieties. Accordingly, in 2006, while farmers were still using low-quality rice seeds, the cooperative joined forces to produce IR4625 sticky rice seeds, with an area of ​​2 hectares.

Director of Tien Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative - Phan Van My shared: “As a farmer who is attached to the fields all year round, I understand better than anyone the value that seeds bring to farmers. Therefore, in the first years when I started producing rice seeds, I accepted to spend 2-3 times more effort taking care of them than other rice fields. The reason is that the ground was not flat and there are still many mixed rice and grasses in the soil. Therefore, I need to take very good care of the rice so that it meets the quality. Up to now, the cooperative has 100 hectares of certified rice seed production and all of them are guaranteed from the beginning of the season”.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Nhon is one of the members of Tien Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative who pays great attention to using certified rice seeds. Because in the past, he had suffered heavy losses from using poor quality rice seeds.

Mr. Nhon confided: “In the past, after harvesting rice, I often left some rice to use as seeds for the next crop. However, the seeds I left were of poor quality, there were many mixed rice seeds, so the rice yield was not high. Meanwhile, production costs increased because it took a lot of effort and materials to take care of the rice.”

Improve cattle breeds

Beef cattle are one of two animals included in the High-tech Agricultural Development Program associated with restructuring the province's agricultural sector. In recent years, the cattle herd in the province has decreased sharply, from 117,000 in 2020 to only 103,000 in 2024.

The reason is that since 2020, the price of animal feed has continuously increased but the price of live cattle has decreased sharply. Specifically, before 2020, the price of live cattle fluctuated from 90,000-95,000 VND/kg, at some times up to 110,000 VND/kg, but now, the price is only from 60,000-65,000 VND/kg

The provincial Department of Agriculture is actively implementing solutions to improve the quality of beef cattle

In this situation, the provincial Department of Animal Husbandry recommends that farmers apply high technology to livestock farming. Accordingly, farmers need to disinfect, sterilize, and clean barns regularly; fully vaccinate; utilize agricultural waste as feed for cattle; etc. In particular, farmers need to improve cattle breeds.

Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Fisheries - Huynh Thi Kim Phuong said: “Implementing the Program for Developing High-Tech Agriculture on Cows, the Provincial Animal Husbandry Department has implemented many pilot models in the districts of Duc Hue, Duc Hoa, Tan Tru and Thu Thua. In addition, the Provincial Animal Husbandry Department also supported localities with 300 breeding cows. Localities also supported breeders with more than 32,000 doses of semen to inseminate 18,000 cows, contributing to creating about 15,000 high-quality crossbred cows”.

It can be seen that improving and using quality plant and animal breeds is considered a breakthrough solution to increase productivity and product quality, contributing to improving economic efficiency, bringing the province's agricultural sector to develop in a sustainable, modern direction, adapting to climate change.

However, currently, there are many establishments on the market that produce and trade poor quality plant and animal breeds of unknown origin. Therefore, farmers should prioritize choosing reputable establishments to buy quality plant and animal breeds./.

By Bui Tung - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nang-tam-chat-luong-gia-tri-cay-trong-vat-nuoi-a180357.html