Which direction to encourage land accumulation?

Various forms of accumulation

In 2013, Mr. Ho Sy Quang in Tho Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) rented 5% of the commune's land plus land divided according to Decree 64 to consolidate and exchange plots with a total scale of more than 20 hectares. From the bad, swampy land that was improved, combined with the introduction of machinery, new varieties (linking with rice seed production enterprises) and applying the correct production techniques, the production value increased. In the last spring crop alone, in this area, the rice yield reached 8 tons/ha, the rice price at the field reached 58.4 million VND/ha/crop.

Currently, Yen Thanh district has more than 1,000 hectares of rice under a model linked with enterprises. Photo: Mai Hoa

In 2018, Mr. Ho Sy Quang, as Director of Tho Thanh Agricultural - Service Cooperative (on the basis of merging family production models and converting old agricultural cooperatives according to the Law on Cooperatives 2012), continued toland accumulationin the form of land contribution by people to create a commercial rice production area linked with enterprises of nearly 60 hectares.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Da, one of hundreds of households in Hop Thanh commune who contributed land to the cooperative, shared: “My family, two elderly people in their 70s, no labor, if we did traditional production, we could not handle it. But when we contributed 5 sao of land, the cooperative took care of everything, from seeds, making trays of seedlings, preparing the land, planting, harvesting and consuming the products. People only participated in the steps of hoeing corners, clearing banks, getting water, and bringing rice from small banks to large banks when harvesting. Thanks to that, we were both healthy and had an added value of about 2.5 million VND/5 sao.”

In Dien Phong commune (Dien Chau), implementing Directive 08 of the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, agricultural land is now basically divided into larger plots than before. On average, 2 - 3 sao/plot and households with small land have 1 plot with an area of ​​2 sao; households with large land have 2 - 3 plots with an area of ​​5 - 6 sao. Besides land consolidation and conversion into large plots, some individuals have also boldly accumulated land in the form of renting land from households that do not have production needs tomake greenhouses,area of ​​3,000 - 4,000 m²/model. A typical example is Mr. Tran Duc Tien's greenhouse model, which is accumulated on the basis of renting land from 2 households that do not have production needs to grow melons, climbing tomatoes, hydroponic vegetables, and asparagus. Just counting melons alone, each year, 3 crops have earned nearly 300 million VND/2,500 m².

Net house models in Nam Anh commune (Nam Dan), Quynh Giang commune (Quynh Luu), Hung Thanh commune (Hung Nguyen); Farm economic development in Bao Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Photo: Mai Hoa

According to Mr. Que Van Duyen - Director of Dien Phong Agricultural Cooperative, the Cooperative is also accumulating through linking a number of enterprises to form a large-scale production area, including 10 hectares of potatoes supplying Orion Company in the North (expected to be 50 hectares in the next winter-spring crop); 10 hectares of hot peppers for a business in Thanh Hoa province; producing sweet corn and waxy corn supplying a number of production and business establishments. Strive to accumulate through linking production according to the value chain to reach 50% of the total 160 hectares of crops in the commune in 2021.

Land accumulation, in practice in Nghe An, is taking place in many forms. The simplest form island consolidation and plot exchangeof farming households and consolidating land managed by the commune into one area for organizations and individuals to rent as farms and ranches. Another form is accumulation through leasing and borrowing land between organizations and individuals who have production needs and farmers who have land but do not have production needs. This is a form of accumulation with thousands of models implemented with a scale of 2 hectares or more and concentrated in Quy Hop, Nghia Dan districts, Thai Hoa town...

Another form of accumulation is to link businesses with people through cooperatives to produce an agricultural product according to orders, creating a value chain, from seeding, production, harvesting, processing, and product consumption for farmers. It is also accumulation through land allocation and land lease for businesses to implement agricultural and forestry production projects (accumulation in the form of buying, selling, and transferring agricultural and forestry land).

Nghia Dan district has more than 50% of sugarcane area mechanized in planting, care and harvesting. Photo: Mai Hoa

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province currently has 580 farms meeting the criteria of Circular No. 02 with areas ranging from over 1 hectare to hundreds of hectares. The number of newly granted investment projects and investment registration certificates in the field of agricultural and forestry production in the period 2016 - 2020 in the province is 42 enterprises with a total of more than 23,465 hectares.

Find a suitable direction

The goal of land accumulation is to apply mechanization, apply science and technology, promote large-scale agricultural production, and increase economic efficiency. The policy of land accumulation and concentration has been set by the province and localities for many years, however, the implementation results have not been as expected. The reason, according to Mr. Phan Van Tuyen - Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee, is that some officials and a part of farmers do not have a vision of the role of high value-added production, leading to difficulties in land accumulation. In addition, land has been divided stably for 50 years for farmers and their mentality is to want to keep the land even though there is no need for production. Therefore, in the coming time, the district will strengthen propaganda and raise awareness for officials and farmers about large-scale agricultural production to accompany the Party Committee and government in policies, including land accumulation.

And the direction in land accumulation of the district will focus on the form of land contribution of farming households to organizations and individuals for production investment. This form both keeps land for farmers, and at the same time farmers are alsoparticipate in some stages of production, absorb new agricultural production processes, not stay out of the game, and organizations and individuals taking on investment also reduce part of the cost of hiring workers and the sense of responsibility of farmers.

Model of high-quality tea farm in Anh Son. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Also mentioning the difficulties, Mr. Phan Xuan Vinh - Vice Chairman of Dien Chau District People's Committee said that currently, from the Central to the province, there are no specific directions and regulations on the form and method of accumulation; which subjects are allowed to accumulate; what are the rights of organizations and individuals after accumulation (including the time to use accumulated land, the right to use accumulated land). Because to invest in large-scale agricultural production, in addition to land accumulation, organizations and individuals must invest in purchasing mechanized machinery, have factories to preserve and process products and consumption chains... That is an issue that needs to be researched and have specific directions, to avoid confusion for localities in the issue of land accumulation for agricultural production and causing difficulties affecting the management of agricultural land.

The 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020 - 2025, continues to advocate land accumulation to build large fields, concentrated specialized production areas, high-tech agriculture, clean agriculture, and organic agriculture in a modern, highly efficient and sustainable direction.

To realize that policy, according to Mr. Nguyen Van De - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the department has researched to guide districts to accumulate in the form of land contribution and land lease. This is a highly feasible form, at the same time, meeting the need to keep land - the means of production of farmers; while the form of accumulation through buying and selling, transferring agricultural land requires businesses and individuals to have strong economic potential to do it; or accumulation through joint ventures, associations between businesses and farmers, the problem is the story of "loyalty" between businesses and farmers and vice versa; the form of land lending is not sustainable, because farmers can take the land back at any time when they want.

Mr. Nguyen Van De also said that leasing land for agricultural production is not an easy problem for organizations and individuals at present due to high investment capital in agriculture and risky agricultural production. Therefore, the Department is currently developing a policy to support organizations and individuals leasing land for agricultural development to submit to the Provincial People's Council in the near future.

Rice fields in Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Photo courtesy: Nguyen Book