Struggling to build a model!

(Baonghean) - With its advantages in land and consumer markets, Vinh City has focused on investing in the development of safe vegetable production areas in recent years. This is a new direction aimed at increasing the value of agricultural products and protecting consumer health. The city has planned a safe vegetable production area following VietGAP standards of at least 50 hectares across four communes (Nghi An, Nghi Lien, Nghi Kim, and Hung Dong) by 2017, aiming for a minimum income of 150 million VND/hectare/year. However, local people are currently struggling with this production model.

Potential and challenges

Vegetable production is a traditional occupation and a strength of Nghi Lien commune. Through production, farmers have accumulated much experience in crop rotation and intercropping, thereby increasing the land utilization rate for vegetable cultivation to 4-5 crops/year. Planning safe vegetable production areas according to VietGAP standards is a sustainable development direction for the commune's agriculture. Currently, the total area of ​​land for vegetable cultivation in the entire commune is 50 hectares, with an average yield of 1,500-1,700 tons of vegetables per year; specifically, the area for safe vegetable production is 25 hectares, concentrated in hamlets 2, 3, 4, and 5; of which 19 households have invested in building 7,042 m2 of greenhouses. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Can from Hamlet 3: "Growing green vegetables is more laborious than other crops, but because vegetables have a short life cycle, they can be rotated many times. In terms of profit, growing vegetables is quite economically efficient. Recently, thanks to policies supporting electricity for irrigation, water tanks, and drilled wells, vegetable production has become much more convenient."

After implementing the vegetable production model in Nghi Lien commune, the city also provided several outlets for Nghi Lien vegetable growers to access, such as supermarkets, kindergartens, and collective kitchens. However, the contracts only lasted about six months. Several reasons hindered cooperation, such as schools, which, due to children's high starch intake, requested root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes, while Nghi Lien mainly produces leafy vegetables. Similarly, when introducing vegetables to Metro supermarket, with all the necessary certifications from reputable agencies such as the Department of Measurement and Quality and the Department of Plant Protection, the two sides agreed that Nghi Lien would supply the supermarket with 300 kg of vegetables daily.

Although the quantity was very small compared to the daily harvest, everyone was happy because they had a stable place to buy their produce. However, after only a few months, the contract had to be canceled. The reason was that the main vegetable crop in Nghi Lien is usually only available from November to around April of the following year, while supermarkets require a year-round supply. Discussing this issue, Mr. Tran Duc Oanh, Head of the Agriculture Department of Nghi Lien commune, said: “In reality, Nghi Lien commune has a tradition of growing vegetables, but for a long time, people have been growing them spontaneously, according to habit rather than market demand. Therefore, during the main season, they plant too much of vegetables like kale, cabbage, and kohlrabi, leading to surplus, while high-quality vegetables requiring good seeds are unavailable. In addition, the main reason is the poor product consumption. When the project was established, the city was responsible for purchasing the products, but currently there is no place in the city selling safe vegetables. Even packaging to prove that these are clean vegetables hasn't been considered. Therefore, it's inevitable that safe vegetables are equated with other types of vegetables.”

This is the model of growing clean vegetables in a greenhouse by Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ky in Hamlet 3, Nghi Lien Commune.

In 2012, Vinh City implemented a project to grow clean vegetables in greenhouses in three communes: Nghi Kim, Nghi An, and Nghi Lien, with the expectation of providing a source of clean vegetables for residents in the city and surrounding areas. In Nghi An and Nghi Kim communes, farmers produced with the support of the Vinh City Plant Protection Station and Phu Tu Private Enterprise, while in Nghi Lien commune, the project was managed by the local government. To implement this project, the Vinh City People's Committee provided farmers with a subsidy of 100,000 VND/m2 for the greenhouse, with the remaining infrastructure investment costs borne by the farmers themselves.

However, due to unsuitable greenhouse designs, unclear intensive farming processes, and uncertain market outlets for vegetables, in the past two seasons, households growing vegetables in greenhouses have been struggling with planting, caring for, managing pests, and selling their products. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Truc, Vice Chairman of the Nghi An Commune People's Committee, said: "In Nghi An commune, 43 farming households in Kim Binh and Kim Trung hamlets benefited from the greenhouse-based clean vegetable program, covering an area of ​​over 11,000 m2. Farmers were enthusiastic about participating because they received support from the enterprise and assurances from relevant departments and agencies that they would have completely clean products, purchased directly from the fields. However, after the first production season, farmers became less enthusiastic because the products they produced were not purchased by the enterprise, so they were not keen on this new production method."

Sustainable development solutions

From 2008 to the present, the city has implemented many safe farming models according to VietGAP standards in Nghi An, Hung Dong, Nghi Lien, and Nghi Kim communes. Simultaneously, the City People's Committee has also provided support policies and invested in infrastructure to facilitate production. For example, in 2011, the city invested 1.4 billion VND in a 5.5-hectare clean vegetable production area in Hamlet 2 (Nghi Lien commune), including a guard house, electricity for irrigation, underground drainage pipes, and an irrigation system consisting of drilled wells and a 12m³ water tank. In 2014, Vinh City continued to provide production capital from the New Rural Development program to Nghi Lien commune with 250 million VND to invest in drilled wells and wells in Hamlets 2, 3, and 4; and to Nghi Kim commune with 50 million VND to build three earthen wells and a drainage system using earthen ditches in the production area of ​​Hamlet 10. Hung Loc commune spent 140 million VND on building greenhouses; Nghi An commune spent 50 million VND on upgrading the power lines to serve safe vegetable production… Currently, there are more than 19,000 m2 of vegetables grown in greenhouses in Vinh City, but due to poor efficiency, some households have dismantled the greenhouse roofs. The reasons include the lack of uniformity in greenhouse construction, farmers not knowing how to operate, maintain, and use the greenhouses, and a lack of investment in the greenhouse vegetable farming model.

According to Mr. Tran Quang Lam, Head of the Economic Department of the Vinh City People's Committee: The city has implemented many programs, projects, and investment models to support the production of agricultural and fishery commodities. Priority has been given to programs for expanding and developing production areas for safe agricultural products according to VietGAP standards and for product consumption, but the effectiveness has not been high. The reason is that the models and programs have not taken into account economic efficiency according to market orientation and have not considered the feasibility of farmers becoming independent from state support. This has led to models using available budget capital not truly prioritizing business efficiency linked to investment efficiency; even if such a goal is set, it has not considered the ability of individual farmers to ensure it.

Regarding greenhouse production, farmers are still not diligent enough, not investing enough effort in implementing proper cultivation techniques; they lack dynamism and responsiveness in applying and sourcing the types of vegetables and fruits the market needs at different times and seasons, and still hold the mindset of monoculture… Currently, some households in Hamlet 3, Nghi Lien Commune, such as those of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ky, Mr. Nguyen Ba Duc, Mr. Nguyen Van Cau… are actively growing various types of vegetables and fruits, applying proper greenhouse production techniques, and investing in lighting and irrigation systems to ensure year-round production, especially for off-season vegetables. In terms of sales, they proactively seek out their own customers such as schools, restaurants, and hotels, guaranteeing the quality and reliability of their products. Within just 500m2 of greenhouse space, they can earn 4-5 million VND per month…

To overcome difficulties and open up new avenues for the development of safe vegetables, Vinh City has developed a project for the sustainable development of safe vegetable growing areas, with a target of 2017. The project aims to create a stable safe vegetable production area by June 2017, adhering to VietGAP standards, with a minimum scale of 50 hectares across four project-implementing communes. This includes ensuring the purchase of all produced goods with a complete system for preliminary processing, processing, preservation, and distribution; and successfully building the "Vinh City Safe Vegetables" brand, widely accepted and consumed in the market. The total project budget is over 7.5 billion VND, of which nearly 5 billion VND will be mobilized from the local population. Although the project is highly anticipated in promoting the sustainable development of safe vegetables in Vinh City, significant challenges remain for its success, especially if Vinh City fails to identify the causes of previous failures and find solutions to overcome them.

Ngoc Anh