Affirming the position of key crops in Quy Hop

(Baonghean) - Implementing the shift in crop structure towards specialization and applying solutions on varieties and science and technology is the direction that the Quy Hop Agriculture Department has successfully implemented in the past term. This is also the result affirming the specialized Resolution No. 07-NQ/HU dated May 17, 2011 of the District Party Committee on intensive cultivation to increase productivity of key crops has reached and exceeded the average level of the province.

Shifting the crop structure and increasing the economic value per unit area is proving to be a sustainable direction for the agricultural sector of Quy Hop district. Many scientific and technical advances have been applied to production to improve productivity and product quality of key crops, especially rice, sugarcane, and orange varieties. Up to now, 85% of the rice area, 86% of the corn area, and 70% of the sugarcane area have used new varieties.

The introduction of new high-yield varieties is most evident in the conversion of crop structure on the entire 5,200 hectares of rice land in the district. In fact, previously, rice was the main crop of some rice-growing communes such as Chau Quang, Chau Ly, Chau Dinh... but did not bring high economic efficiency. Faced with that reality, the district determined to change the variety structure, testing hybrid rice varieties such as AC5, Kinh So Uu 1588 and pure rice variety PHT71 suitable for the local soil. Typically, Chau Dinh has 10 hectares of Kinh So Uu rice in Moi hamlet, Ham hamlet, 5 hectares of AC5 variety in Bu Sen hamlet... have been tested and put into mass production, currently yielding up to 7 tons/ha.

Comrade Nguyen Van Suu, Chairman of Chau Dinh Commune People's Committee shared his experience: "After successfully replicating the model, we organized training on fertilization techniques and varieties according to SRI technology, so the results are very sustainable." Similarly, in Chau Ly commune, where there are 200 hectares of double-rice land, the yield previously only reached 50 tons/ha, but now thanks to the correct implementation of the process, the yield has increased to 60 tons/ha; or like Chau Quang, after the process of building a model for testing new high-quality rice varieties (Arize XL, AFC 807, GS9), the yield now reaches 70 tons/ha. Thanks to effective methods, during the past term, the average rice yield increased from 50.82 tons/ha/year in 2010 to 60 tons/ha/year in 2014, the output increased from 23,209 tons/year in 2010 to 30,795 tons/year in 2014, contributing to the district's food output reaching 36,282 tons/year in 2014; in 2015, it is estimated to reach 36,252 tons, reaching 113.29% of the resolution (the target of the Resolution for the term is 32,000 tons).

New sugarcane varieties give high yields on 4 hectares of reclaimed ore-contaminated land in Chau Quang commune (Quy Hop).

The introduction of new varieties into production, improvement of poor soil, soil contaminated with minerals and use of drip irrigation technology to improve productivity and economic efficiency have also been promoted in sugarcane raw material areas. Ha Son and Chau Dinh communes are the areas with the largest sugarcane area, with more than 2,000 hectares, which the district has directed to eradicate grass shoot disease. Regarding the sugarcane area in the whole district, thanks to high determination and many synchronous solutions, the district has directed to successfully suppress the epidemic of 4,000 hectares of sugarcane infected with grass shoot disease by replacing new varieties with high sugar content and grass shoot disease resistance, especially not using local varieties but foreign sugarcane varieties, at the same time building a specialized seed area in Bac Son commune of 70 hectares, Thung Chang area (Chau Dinh) of 40 hectares to become the main area to provide replacement sources of new seeds. With a specialized crop area of ​​up to 6,500 hectares, the yield reached 65 tons/ha (the target of the Resolution of the term is 60 tons/ha), the output reached the set plan. Currently, the district has successfully built a drip irrigation model for sugarcane in Nghia Xuan with an average yield of 120 tons/ha; a high-quality sugarcane growing model in Chau Dinh commune with a yield of 80 tons/ha; a sugarcane seed production model in Bac Son commune with a yield of 90 tons/ha.

Orange trees are considered a special commodity crop, the district is actively implementing the Project "Developing Quy Hop orange material area towards commodity production in the period 2015 - 2020". Accordingly, with an area of ​​1,746 hectares of oranges and tangerines (over 80% of which is orange area), accounting for 2/3 of the province's orange area, there are up to 600 hectares of oranges for business. Currently, the Xa Doai, Valencia, and Van Du orange varieties have an average yield of 20 tons/ha, with a typical yield of 50 tons/ha (Xa Doai variety).

Mr. Cao Giang Nam, an expert from the District Department of Agriculture, said: “Since Quy Hop oranges were protected by the Intellectual Property Office - Ministry of Science and Technology for geographical indication of Vinh Orange brand (in 2007), Quy Hop oranges and tangerines have begun to develop strongly, products are exported to domestic and foreign markets with a total annual output of about 16,000 tons. The average income of orange growers after deducting expenses is 500 million - 1 billion VND/ha/year; typically, there are households with an income of over 2 billion VND/ha/year. Quy Hop orange trees have really contributed to increasing income, reducing the gap between rich and poor between urban and rural areas.”

To increase the productivity of key crops to meet the set targets, every year the District People's Committee and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development create conditions for households to borrow capital to buy more multi-function plows, water pumps, threshers, and pesticide sprayers. Lowland communes with flat areas invest in buying harvesters for quick harvesting, saving time and effort, ensuring time for the next crop. During the past term, the district has coordinated with suppliers to provide support and loans for 229 plows, 13 water pumps, 30 automatic sprayers, 5 sets of fertilizer pellet presses, and 16 sets of harvesters; up to now, the mechanization rate in land preparation stages has reached 56.02%, an increase of 28.6% compared to 2010; Mechanization in agricultural production contributes to saving costs, liberating labor, ensuring seasonality, preventing natural disasters, and is an important premise for building modern agriculture.

From the determination to build a key crop to create a brand for the Quy Hop Agriculture sector, it has contributed to affirming that the specialized Resolution No. 07 - NQ/HU dated May 17, 2011 of the District Party Committee has really come into life. Comrade Phan Dinh Dat, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Quy Hop District Party Committee said: "The issuance and implementation of Resolution 07 is a correct policy, in line with the people's wishes, so when implemented, it has created high consensus, great spread, and practically entered into life. And, with the implementation of shifting the crop structure towards commodity specialization, it has created a new step forward for the Quy Hop commodity agriculture sector".

Thanh Nga