Long An to plant 1 million hectares of high quality rice

Application of tray plating machine

Towards sustainable agricultural development

In order to meet the increasing consumer demand of people and export, over the past time, the agriculture sector has strongly renovated the growth model, towards clean and environmentally friendly production.

Since 2013, the province has implemented a project of high tech agricultural development in association with restructuring agricultural sector towards improving value and sustainable development.

After 10 years of implementation, the province's rice industry has changed in a positive way. Low quality rice varieties have been replaced by high quality rice varieties, meeting the needs of domestic and world consumers.

At the same time, the province focused on developing the large field model, creating a positive change in the cooperative economic sector, contributing to socio-economic development, promoting commodity agricultural production in the direction of raising value and sustainable development.

Application of unmanned aircraft to spray, fertilize rice fields

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, rice production in 2023 achieved many positive results0. The total area of rice sowing is estimated at 513,877ha, an increase of 4,818ha over the same period.

The harvest area is estimated at 513,877ha, the yield at 59.3 quintals/ha, an increase of 3.3 quintals/ha compared to the same period; The output was estimated at 3,048,103 tons, an increase of 186,967 tons over the same period, of which high quality rice reached over 1.8 million tons.

Currently, Go Gon Agricultural Cooperative (Hung Thanh Commune, Tan Hung District) has 120 official members with a total agricultural production area of up to 564 hectares.

Go Gon Agricultural Cooperative is a local main unit of building a large field model, linking state, businesses, scientists and farmers, combined with the implementation of the program to improve the situation of small, odd and scattered production organizations.

The aim of the operation is to reduce production costs, increase profits for farmers and in accordance with the policy of the agricultural sector. Implementing the project is a golden opportunity for agriculture in general and cooperatives in particular because of clean agriculture, high quality, low emissions are the current trend. When the product is made in accordance with the world needs, it will affirm the prestige, position and value of agricultural products in general and rice industry in particular.

Director of Go Gon Agricultural Cooperative - Truong Huu Tri said: “For rice production, besides the efficiency from changing the production method, the reduction of emissions also increases income for farmers.

Recently, in the establishment event of the Rice Industry Association, our cooperative was honored to participate in the Executive Committee, opening up opportunities to access new information and policies and contribute to the spread of the project."

Electric pumping station of Cay Trom Agricultural Trade Service Cooperative (Hung Dien A Commune, Vinh Hung District)

Recently, Cay Trom Agricultural Trade Service Cooperative (Hung Dien A Commune, Vinh Hung District) has made an important contribution to improving farmers' lives from changes in smart rice cultivation links in the direction of organic farming.

In 2023, the cooperative was honored by the Central Government as one of the 63 typical cooperatives nationwide; choosed by the province as one of the two typical pioneering cooperatives implementing the project.

Showing the system of pumping stations invested by the cooperative to proactively pumping water, Director of Cay Trom Agricultural Commercial Service Cooperative - Bui Van Tuan affirmed that the cooperative is always ready to test and adapt to new methods.

For 4-5 years, the cooperative has tested the method of alternating wet - dry irrigation, using the sensor tube (AWD tube) and the pump control station. Farmers can use the smartphone with the Internet connection as the remote control of fresh water pumping stations timely and automatically, thereby helping farmers save a large amount of water compared to the previous method of irrigation. “We are aiming at new model. If we produces according to new standards of improving the added value with carbon credits, the rice value will definitely be no less than other plants” - Mr. Tuan shared.

Concluding from practical experience when participating in a large field model of the province, the cooperative realized that large scale production requires a complete irrigation and transport infrastructure system. Because, according to the regulations for high quality rice, the time from harvest to transportation into the factory must not exceed 12 hours. Meanwhile, the local rural transport infrastructure is quite limited, as vehicles with the capacity 15 tons or more can not reach the field.

“In the harvest season, every day, the cooperative can harvest up to hundreds of tons. They have tried waterway traffic but still exceeds the prescribed time. Therefore, the cooperative proposes the State to invest in rural infrastructure, supporting modern mechanical equipment, transferring scientific and technical advances.

In addition, it is necessary to have a flexible and accessible loan policy with low interest rates, so that cooperatives can catch up businesses, from rice fields to rice exports” - Mr. Tuan shared.

Ready to implement the project

The project aims at forming large scale, long term concentrated area, creating favorable conditions to reorganize rice production in the Mekong Delta in the direction of modernity, meeting multi - objectives.

Mechanization helps farmers reduce labor and production costs

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development informed that, the project was implemented in 2 stages in 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta, including Long An province.

Phase 1 (2024-2025): focusing on consolidating the existing areas of the sustainable agricultural conversion project in Vietnam (VnSat) (180,000ha). Long An and many provinces in the region are very excited, ready to embark on the project with new expectations for the rice industry.

According to the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Thanh Truyen, the project not only contributes to ensuring food security, raw materials for industry, ensuring human health, increasing income for farmers, etc but also branding low emissions rice, thereby increasing competitiveness and improving the value of rice and rice industry, contributing to sustainable agricultural development for the province and the Mekong Delta.

“On the basis of high quality rice area and VNSAT projects, the province has reviewed and registered the area to the project until 2025 of 60,000 hectares; By 2030, this area is expected to expand to 120,000 hectares. The province will launch the project right in the winter - spring crop 2023-2024 ” - Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truyen informed./.​

By Bui Tung - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/long-an-s-n-sang-trien-khai-de-an-1-trieu-hecta-lua-chat-luong-cao-a169120.html