Anh Son: Developing specialized farming areas

(Baonghean) - Anh Son is a midland and mountainous district with vast and diverse land potential, suitable for many types of crops. In recent years, products from sugarcane and tea have affirmed their position in the domestic and regional markets, contributing to the sustainable economic development of Anh Son.

Hamlet 12 (Khe village), Long Son commune, unfolds before our eyes a fertile landscape of industrial tea plantations. Currently, 120 households in the hamlet are involved in tea cultivation, covering an area of ​​150 hectares (accounting for two-thirds of the commune's total tea area). To retain moisture for the tea plants, the villagers have dug and built 137 reservoirs at the foot of the hills. Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, head of Hamlet 12, excitedly stated: “In our hamlet, on average, each household has over 1 hectare of industrial tea plantations, and 100% of tea-growing households are equipped with tea-picking machines for harvesting. If we maintain a stable tea purchase price of 330,000 VND per quintal of fresh tea buds like this year, each tea-growing household can earn 150-200 million VND per hectare per year. On this hilly land, nothing is as profitable as tea.” In Long Son commune and many other localities, industrial tea cultivation is the main crop, contributing to poverty reduction and legitimate wealth creation for farmers.

The industrial tea farming model of Mr. Nguyen Quang Hop's household (Hamlet 11 - Hoa Son).

Leaving Long Son and heading north to some communes with difficult irrigation conditions, such as Thanh, Binh, and Tho in the district, one is greeted by the vibrant green of sugarcane plantations. The entire region currently has over 800 hectares of sugarcane, with a yield of 57-60 tons per hectare. Farmers earn approximately 10 billion VND per year from sugarcane cultivation. Mr. Pham Ngoc Canh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tho Son commune, stated: "Previously, this area specialized in rice, corn, peanuts, and beans, but the efficiency was low. Since shifting to sugarcane cultivation for the sugar factory, people's lives have gradually improved. After land consolidation, the commune has planned 400 hectares of concentrated sugarcane plantations. The average sugarcane yield is 57 tons per hectare, with many sugarcane areas in hamlets 2, 3, and 10 receiving high investment, achieving yields of 60 tons per hectare. In the local economic structure, sugarcane accounts for one-quarter of the total income."

Tea and sugarcane are two of the five key crops (tea, sugarcane, rubber, rice, and corn) identified as strengths in economic development in Anh Son district. Mr. Nguyen Cong The, Head of the Agriculture Department of Anh Son district, said: After more than two years of implementing Resolution 03 of the District Party Committee and one year of implementing Directive 08 of the Provincial Party Committee on land consolidation and exchange, encouraging land accumulation for large-scale production development, the entire district has consolidated over 4,700 hectares of agricultural land, averaging 3.7 plots per household (previously 7-8 plots per household), with each household having 2-3.0 production areas. In conjunction with land conversion, many communes such as Linh Son, Hung Son, Long Son, Phuc Son, and Tuong Son have invested and mobilized the people's resources to build internal field transportation and irrigation systems.

Through land transformation, Anh Son has formed concentrated specialized farming areas. These include an industrial tea growing area with a total area of ​​over 2,300 hectares, mainly concentrated in the foothills of Long Son, Phuc Son, Hoi Son, Hoa Son, Hung Son, and Duc Son communes. The production of fresh tea leaves reaches 17-20 thousand tons per year. The district has developed a tea cultivation model according to VietGAP standards in Hung Son, and a model of foliar fertilization in Phuc Son, increasing tea production by 15-20%. The sugarcane growing area, with over 1,600 hectares, is mainly concentrated in Tho Son, Thanh Son, and Binh Son districts, 330 hectares in Hoa Son, and the Thang 10 Tea Enterprise... The sugarcane crushing season of 2012-2013 reached 102 thousand tons, exceeding the forecast by 10 thousand tons. The third area is the food crop growing area. Currently, the district has over 6,000 hectares of rice, including over 3,000 hectares in the spring crop and 2,700-3,000 hectares in the summer-autumn crop. The average rice yield reaches 49 quintals/hectare, with a total rice production of over 29,000 tons. This is a major food source, contributing to the development of livestock farming and consumption for the people in the district. Along with rice, the district has also allocated over 6,100 hectares of corn on alluvial land and double-cropped rice land (accounting for 8-10% of the total corn area in the province). Corn yields in the four consecutive years (2010-2013) reached 45 quintals/hectare, 8.3 quintals/hectare higher than the provincial average (37 quintals/hectare). The average corn production reached over 27,000 tons, generating an income of 55-60 million VND/hectare. Over 70% of the corn production serves the development of commercial livestock farming in the area…

For decades, key crops such as tea and sugarcane in Anh Son district have developed in conjunction with the processing industry. Currently, the district has three factories that purchase and process fresh tea leaves with a capacity of 125 tons per day: Anh Son Black Tea Factory, Bai Phu Tea Factory, and Hung Son Tea Processing Plant. In addition, there are eight mini-tea processing plants in Phuc Son, Long Son, Cam Son, Hung Son, and Lang Son, producing 25-30 tons of tea leaves per day. Our province's black tea and Song Lam sugar products have entered the domestic and regional markets. Products such as gourds, green pumpkins, watermelons, and Gay tea from Tao Son, Cam Son, Tuong Son, Cao Son, and Linh Son are sold as soon as they are produced.

However, the development of key crops still faces many difficulties. Productivity and quality of crops are not high; crop allocation is not rational. The organization of production linkages among the three stakeholders (farmers, businesses, scientists, and the government) is not yet effective. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, head of Hamlet 12, Long Son Commune, although the amount of tea leaves produced by the villagers is substantial, the price of tea has remained consistently low for many years. This is often due to raw material congestion, preventing factories from purchasing the tea in time. In many harvest seasons, due to difficulties with transportation and electricity, many households are unable to sell their products, forcing some to sell to private traders and face price manipulation. This negatively impacts the willingness to invest in new and intensive tea cultivation.

To effectively promote key crops, the People's Committee of Anh Son district is developing a project titled "Development of Key Crops and Livestock in Anh Son District until 2020, with a vision to 2030". With this project, the district clearly identifies five key crops to be developed from now until 2015 (reaching 2020): 6,000 hectares of rice, 1,000 hectares of high-quality rice, 5,900 hectares of corn, increasing the productivity of intensive corn cultivation, expanding the planting of new industrial tea in the Thanh-Binh-Tho region, bringing the total tea area to 3,200 hectares, stabilizing 1,800 hectares of sugarcane, striving to reach over 3,400 hectares of rubber, and expanding the planting of 700-1,000 hectares of small-scale rubber plantations. In addition, the district focuses on promising crops, including cassava, chili peppers, sweet corn, flowers, and ornamental plants. Upgrading processing lines and technologies is also encouraged. Encourage businesses to invest in and build joint ventures and partnerships. Promote investment in export-oriented processing industries and seek new markets.

Text and photos:Luong Mai