Focus on developing large-scale livestock farms

(Baonghean) -Compared to other localities in the delta, Nghi Loc is a district with great potential for farm economic development. Currently, focusing on and encouraging priority to replicate large-scale farm models is considered a new direction bringing practical results in the area.

We visited Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa's chicken farm in Kho Vom hill - Van Tai hamlet - Nghi Hoa commune right when the facility had just brought in a flock of 2-day-old chickens, preparing food for the year-end sale. This is a large industrial chicken farm in Nghi Hoa commune, with a scale of over 7,000 chickens/year. This farming model is a joint venture with Sipi Animal Feed Company (Thailand), so the company basically supports the stages of breeding, food, and product output. Mr. Hoa said: Every year, his family imports more than 7,000 chickens, about 40 tons of food.

The factors for building industrial barns, facilities, human resources, veterinary techniques, especially care and prevention of common diseases in chickens must be calculated to ensure the correct process. Every year, the facility sells at least 4 batches of broiler chickens to the market, an average of 20-30 tons/batch, equivalent to over 100 tons of broiler chickens/year. According to calculations, each chicken from raising to selling lasts about 3 months, the weight when sold is about 3kg/chicken. If the market is stable, the price of broiler chickens is from 32 - 40 thousand VND/kg, after deducting costs, each chicken sold has a profit of 7-10 thousand VND. Currently, Mr. Hoa is creating jobs for 4-5 local workers with a stable salary of 4 million VND/person/month.

Chicken farm of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa - Van Tai hamlet - Nghi Hoa commune.

Since 1999, Mr. Nguyen Trong Phuc - Hamlet 16 - Nghi Long has been raising 50 industrial chickens in Hamlet 2 - Nghi Hoa. However, due to the requirements and technical standards for raising chickens at that time not being suitable for the actual conditions of the locality, Mr. Phuc gradually switched to self-investment to create initiative in raising chickens. Initially, he contracted high and difficult-to-renovate lands in the localities to build breeding facilities. Actively learning from experience, struggling to find markets and breeds in the northern provinces such as Ha Tay and Hanoi, up to now, Mr. Phuc has developed 3 private facilities for raising industrial chickens in the form of large farms, with a scale of over 50,000 chickens/batch/year.

Every year, 3 establishments supply the provincial market with over 120 tons of chicken meat, including industrial chicken products, Loan Phuong chickens and Mic chickens, bringing in hundreds of millions of VND in revenue per year. Currently, Mr. Phuc is creating jobs for 15 local workers. Mr. Phuc said: It is the end of the year, consumption is increasing, so all establishments have to speed up the flock, hire more workers to take care of them, and ensure timely supply of chicken meat products to the market.

As a district with abundant labor resources, much experience in developing traditional livestock farming, combined with abundant agricultural by-products of rice and corn, and favorable output markets, Nghi Loc focuses on exploiting strengths in dry, rocky highlands, ineffective perennial crop lands, or lands with no production capacity to invest in livestock farming. Up to now, the whole district has 243 farms and households. Of which, 22 pig farms have a scale of 70 pigs/farm or more, 33 poultry farms have a scale of 2,000 pigs/farm or more, and 12 cattle farms have a scale of 15 pigs/farm or more. Among the 30 farms that meet the criteria according to Circular 27 of the Ministry of Agriculture, there are 15 industrial chicken farms with a scale of 7,000 chickens or more, 14 industrial chicken farms in joint venture with Sipi Animal Feed Company concentrated in the communes of Nghi Kieu, Nghi Lam, Nghi Hoa, Nghi Van, Nghi Phuong.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho - Head of the Department of Agriculture of Nghi Loc district, said: Developing livestock farming in the form of farms is the direction in the economic development of the district. In the difficult conditions of investment capital, the district encourages the development of large-scale livestock farms, attracting investment according to the motto of cooperation and joint ventures to increase product value. To encourage people to invest, the district has created conditions in the issue of granting certificates to farms that need to bid for land, in accordance with land use planning conditions, without causing environmental pollution. Issued a support policy of 10 million VND/poultry farm with a scale of 2,000 birds/farm or more (after implementing and applying this mechanism effectively, the district is temporarily suspending this policy).

Through research, it is found that in order to develop and exploit the potential of large-scale livestock farms, especially poultry farming, livestock farmers in Nghi Loc district are facing many difficulties. Mr. Dang Tho Thieu - Vice Chairman of Nghi Hoa Commune People's Committee, said: In the commune, there are currently 3 large industrial chicken farms, with a scale of 10,000 - 18,000 chickens/batch. In the past two years, market prices have been difficult, and investment costs for livestock farming have increased. The bank loan mechanism in the agricultural development program is low, with a maximum of 50 million VND/household, so it is difficult for livestock farmers to mobilize capital for production investment. Meanwhile, the issue of granting land use rights and leasing land for long-term use is difficult, so there is no basis for mortgage loans from banks to invest in livestock farming. There are many livestock farming cycles, but farm owners do not focus on investing. According to Mr. Tho - Head of the District Agriculture Department, the district has only carried out procedures to grant land use certificates to 5/15 farms that meet the standards according to Circular 27 of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Due to the terrain characteristics in the vicinity of Vinh City, floods, and quite sensitive diseases in livestock, from now until 2020, Nghi Loc district has determined that the important thing in developing the farm economy is to choose suitable livestock that does not pollute the environment; planning to develop large livestock farms in semi-mountainous areas, far from residential areas. Priority is given to poultry and livestock, limiting the development of pig farming. In the long term, the district will develop a project to develop the farm economy associated with the land use planning for the period 2014-2020.

Article and photos: Luong Mai\