Developing agriculture and integrating firmly

(Baonghean) - In 2016, the agricultural sector faced many difficulties and challenges. The most difficult of which was the unusual weather, with severe cold at the beginning of the year, with temperatures of -20C in some places, killing 22,000 hectares of rice, thousands of hectares of forest and reducing livestock and poultry. In the middle of the year, there was a prolonged drought, right at the time of the summer-autumn rice harvest and causing heavy rains in the winter season. Not to mention, the rainfall in 2016 was only 60% of the average of many years, leading to reservoirs only reaching 55-60% of their water capacity. Then the marine environmental pollution incident caused by Formosa made the consumption of seafood extremely difficult.

But with the determination of the sector, the timely direction of the Provincial People's Committee and all levels of the sector, the agricultural sector has completed and exceeded the planned targets: Production value growth rate reached 4.5%/plan 4.5%; Forest coverage reached 57.2%/plan 56%; Clean water and rural environmental sanitation 77%/plan 77%; Number of communes meeting new rural standards 38/plan 34 communes; Food output reached 1.257 million tons, the highest ever. In cultivation, many large fields were built with many types of plants such as rice, peanuts, corn, vegetables; mechanization was introduced into production and high-tech technical advances were applied to create high-quality products, gradually meeting the domestic and foreign markets and exports.

Vegetable village. Photo: Quang Dung

In livestock farming, the implementation was organized on a concentrated scale of farms and households, disease management was strengthened, contributing to accelerating the growth rate, bringing the buffalo herd to 305 thousand heads, an increase of 2.8%, the cow herd to 432 thousand heads, an increase of 0.75%, 1 million pigs, 19.2 million poultry and the output of fresh meat for slaughter reached 221 thousand tons.

Regarding fisheries, 59 new vessels with large capacity for offshore fishing have been built, building a fishing fleet of 4,200 vessels, of which 1,300 are for offshore fishing, contributing to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, bringing the catch output to 117,000 tons and the aquaculture output to 49,000 tons.

Forestry work has strengthened forest management and protection activities, effectively implemented the policy of payment for forest environmental services and socialized forestry to help people change their awareness to get rich from the forest, organized new planting of 19,530/16,030 ha, the highest ever, reaching 121.83% of the plan, exploited and processed 500 thousand m3 of planted forest wood...

Irrigation works and PCBL are maintained and upgraded to effectively irrigate stably for 95% of the crop area and ensure water sources for people's daily life. Many irrigation investment projects with large investment rates are being implemented on schedule such as: Jica 2 project to renovate the Northern irrigation system worth 5,700 billion VND, 2 projects WB5 and WB8 worth more than 1,000 billion VND. Some projects such as the salinity prevention and freshwater retention sluices of Lam River and Mo River are preparing for investment steps.

The industry has seriously implemented Joint Circular 14/2014/TTLT-BNN-BNV, rearranging 10 branches down to 7 branches; streamlining the payroll according to Resolution 39-BCT and Decree 108 CP on payroll reduction, and developing a job position project.

In particular, the processing industry has been brought into the development of the industry to form a production chain such as 3 sugar factories (NaSu, Song Con, Song Lam) contributing to the consumption of 28,000 hectares of raw materials (over 1.6 million tons of sugarcane); 3 cassava factories consuming 7,300 hectares of raw materials. In addition, the MDF Factory inaugurated and put into operation to consume raw materials for 65,000 hectares of planted forests, Massan Factory, Royal Foods Seafood Processing Factory, Pineapple Concentrate Factory producing passion fruit and pineapple concentrate products, ... not only contributing to solving the output for farmers, but also forming concentrated raw material areas, linking in production, processing and consumption.

Mr. Truong Van Hoa's model of growing clean vegetables in greenhouses in Hamlet 2, Hoi Son Commune is implemented according to the food safety chain process. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Newspaper.

The achievements of agriculture and rural development in Nghe An in 2016 have contributed to creating an important foundation for socio-economic development. In particular, the rural landscape has become increasingly prosperous, creating jobs and income for over 450,000 farming households, ensuring the food security strategy, creating many high-quality, safe and valuable agricultural products for domestic consumption and export such as: 221 thousand tons of fresh meat for sale, 240 thousand tons of fresh milk; over 112 thousand tons of white sugar; 28 thousand tons of products processed from seafood; over 12.5 thousand tons of dry tea of ​​all kinds; 32.1 thousand tons of oranges and tangerines; 6,500 tons of rubber latex; 500 tons of green coffee; production and consumption of nearly 40 thousand m3 of MDF wood, over 6 thousand m3 of wood for processing wooden furniture... bringing the export turnover value to 210 million USD, exceeding the plan by 30 million; The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ranked the unit as the leading emulation unit in the North Central region, the Provincial People's Committee ranked the unit as an excellent unit completing its tasks and becoming a major center for livestock farming and cow milk processing; sugarcane production; afforestation and MDF wood processing...

However, compared to the requirements of socio-economic development, the Nghe An Agriculture and Rural Development sector must strive higher and promptly overcome limitations and shortcomings, especially weaknesses in organization, direction and management, investment in production development and consumption of agricultural products according to the product chain and especially in new rural construction. In 2017, the sector focused on a number of key tasks and solutions: Continue to strongly restructure, build a modern agriculture, high added value, sustainable development in both socio-economic and environmental aspects according to Decision No. 6593/QD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee. Strengthen irrigation work, improve flood and storm prevention capacity, and mitigate natural disasters. Pay attention to solving clean water and rural environmental sanitation, managing basic construction, and speeding up the progress of key projects.

Many livestock and production models apply techniques to improve efficiency and economic value.

Continue to prioritize directing and mobilizing resources for rural development, focusing on implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Development, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and ensuring social security. Innovate, develop, and improve the effectiveness of forms of production and business organization in agriculture and rural areas. Strengthen scientific research, agricultural extension, transfer, and application of scientific and technological advances and advanced technologies in production, increase productivity, quality, and value of agricultural products. Tighten management of agricultural material quality, diseases, and food safety and hygiene.

Effectively implement policies to support the development of agricultural and rural production. Proactively and actively integrate internationally to attract foreign investment; develop markets, promote agricultural exports. Manage, protect and use resources and the environment sustainably and effectively. Continue to promote administrative reform, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of specialized state management, strictly implement the Law on Anti-Corruption, practice thrift, combat waste and do a good job of attracting and developing high-quality human resources... Thereby, creating momentum to build Nghe An's agriculture to develop in the direction of commodity production, applying high technology, large scale with many products that are advantageous, competitive, and highly effective, associated with new rural construction, ensuring sustainable development.

Hoang Nghia Hieu

(Member of Provincial Party Committee, Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)