Improving the efficiency of agricultural land use in Nghia Dan

With a large area of ​​red basalt soil, Nghia Dan district has many advantages for developing agricultural production. To improve the efficiency of agricultural land use, the district is implementing many projects to concentrate and accumulate land, and apply high technology in agricultural commodity production.

Nghia Phu Commune is identified as one of the key areas to implement the project of concentrating, accumulating land, building commodity-oriented agriculture, applying high technology, phase 2021-2025 of Nghia Dan district. Here, there is a planning project of Nghia Phu High-Tech Agricultural Zone with a scale of 210 hectares. At the same time, it cooperates with companies to implement projects to develop fruit trees such as mango, passion fruit, etc.

Through the discussion, Mr. Truong Quang Thang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Nghia Phu commune, said: The orientations of the district and province in concentrating and accumulating land, building commodity-oriented agriculture, and applying high technology have contributed to promoting the emulation movement in production and livestock raising of all households in the area. Most of the people in the area have traditions and experience in developing production when many of them used to be workers of the state-owned farms of December 22 and May 1 in the past. Typically, Mr. Ho Sy Son's family in Phu Thang hamlet has nearly 6 hectares of land, he both plants forests, grows fruit trees, and grows grass to develop large-scale livestock farming. Currently, Mr. Son's family is raising 31 cows and many areas of fruit trees. At the same time, in the commune, many households have invested in growing oranges, custard apples, guavas, and mangoes in the direction of commodities. In the commune, there are many households with land funds from 1ha to 6ha that are growing fruit trees, developing livestock and poultry raising, bringing in a good income. The commune has 11 model fields with an area of ​​85ha with main crops such as: Sugarcane, orange, tangerine, guava, custard-apple...

Mô hình trồng cây bơ và chăn nuôi gia súc lớn ở xã Nghĩa Phú (Nghĩa Đàn). Ảnh: Minh Thái - NS
A large-scale avocado growing and livestock raising model in Nghia Phu commune (Nghia Dan). Photo: Minh Thai - NS

However, according to Mr. Truong Quang Thang, the concentration and accumulation of land in the direction of association to create a large area with the participation of enterprises or cooperatives in the area is very difficult to implement. Because households are conscious of autonomy on the allocated land area. In the commune, there is currently no enterprise joining in the association to consume products to promote production. Regarding the Nghia Phu High-Tech Agricultural Zone Project with a scale of 210 hectares, most of the area is managed by 1/5 LLC, there are a number of related households that have been surveyed by many enterprises, but have not been implemented in the field.

The difficulties in Nghia Phu commune are also the common situation of many key agricultural development areas in Nghia Dan district. In July 2021, Nghia Dan District Party Committee issued Project No. 02 - DA/HU on "Continuing to concentrate and accumulate land, build commodity-oriented agriculture, apply high technology in the period of 2021-2025, vision to 2030". Next, the District Party Committee issued Project No. 03 -DA/HU on September 17, 2021 "Attracting investment in Nghia Dan district in the period of 2021-2025 and the following years". These are 2 projects expected to create positive movements in land concentration and accumulation, and socio-economic development in the area.

Cán bộ xã Nghĩa Lâm (Nghĩa Đàn) thăm mô hình trồng cây ăn quả có diện tích 5ha trên địa bàn. Ảnh: NS
Officials of Nghia Lam commune (Nghia Dan) visited a fruit tree planting model with an area of ​​5 hectares in the area. Photo: NS

Implementing 2 important projects of the District Party Committee, the People's Committee of Nghia Dan district has issued a plan, coordinated with all levels, sectors and localities, mobilized people to participate in land concentration and accumulation, and built high-tech agricultural production models. The district has formed 07 high-tech agricultural application linkage projects, oriented to call for investment in the period of 2021-2030 and the following years.

Specifically: The Nghia Tho commune pig farming project has an area of ​​18.6 hectares, and is completing infrastructure construction; Concentrating land in cooperatives (Cooperatives) including 30 hectares (Hau Nguyen CNC Agricultural Cooperative: 2 hectares, Nghia Hoi CNC Agricultural Cooperative: 25 hectares, Nghia Dan Ecofarm Cooperative: 3 hectares); Concentrating land to implement high-yield sugarcane growing models, applying high technology; concentrating land in raw sugarcane production cooperatives, linking raw sugarcane consumption with factories through cooperative channels. Implemented at 2 cooperatives including Nghia Mai raw sugarcane production and consumption cooperative and Nghia Phu raw sugarcane production and consumption cooperative. In the 2021-2022 crushing season, the total area of ​​the district reached 6,495 hectares (of which the area with factory contracts is 4,565 hectares), the output reached 389,700 tons, the average yield reached 60 tons/ha. The main production areas of the district: Nghia Mai, Nghia Phu, Nghia Thinh, Nghia Yen, Nghia Duc.

Người dân ở Nghĩa Đàn ứng dụng máy nông nghiệp từ khâu trồng, chăm sóc đến thu hoạch mía. Ảnh: Mai Hoa - Nguyên Sơn
People in Nghia Dan apply agricultural machines from planting, caring to harvesting sugarcane. Photo: Mai Hoa - Nguyen Son

At the same time, the project to develop raw material areas for mango and passion fruit trees in association with T9 Agricultural Import-Export Company Limited - Expected to be 100 hectares in Nghia Phu, Nghia Lac, Nghia Loi communes, has currently built 04 models with an area of ​​04 hectares of passion fruit in Nghia Phu and Nghia Tho communes. On that basis, the district continues to monitor, inspect and evaluate the pilot models, and expand in the coming time.

Nghia Dan district is also planning to implement a number of projects such as: Phu Tho high-tech agricultural production linkage zone; Nghia Duc; Hung - Thinh; Nghia Phu high-tech agricultural application zone project with a scale of 210 hectares; Linkage zone for seed production, cultivation and primary processing and medicinal plant factory; Post-harvest agricultural product processing and preservation project; Food processing project, concentrated livestock slaughtering, etc.

Through monitoring and evaluation, the programs and projects in Nghia Dan district have initially created positive effects, promoting the movement of commodity production among the people. Authorities at all levels have joined hands with the people to strongly change the structure of crops and seasons, apply technical advances in varieties and high technology to increase productivity, quality and adapt to climate change. With the red basalt soil, along with the experience of many households who used to have workers in state-owned farms and forestry farms, the movement of applying technology to grow fruit trees and develop livestock in Nghia Dan has achieved many positive results. The district's agricultural sector always exceeds the set targets. Many integrated farms have promoted efficiency. The livestock sector has many changes. In particular, the model of fattening beef cattle on a small and medium-sized farm scale in the whole district has 37 beef cattle farms with over 1,400 heads, bringing the total herd of buffalo and cows in 2021 to 91,000 heads, an increase of 5.94% over the same period.

Cán bộ xã Nghĩa Lợi và huyện Nghĩa Đàn khảo sát mô hình vườn chuẩn để phổ biến nhân rộng. Ảnh: NN
Officials of Nghia Loi commune and Nghia Dan district surveyed the standard garden model for dissemination and replication. Photo: NN

Although the agricultural sector in Nghia Dan district has achieved many positive results, it has not yet fully exploited the potential of land and labor and has not yet attracted projects to create momentum. At the same time, the concentration and accumulation of land into large production areas still faces certain difficulties. Except for the concentration of sugarcane production, most fruit growing areas in Nghia Dan still lack linkages in harvesting, preservation, processing and consumption.

According to the leaders of Nghia Dan district, the concentration and accumulation of land in reality has not been as desired. Because the land area has been basically assigned to agricultural and forestry LLCs and households, the desire to accumulate a large area of ​​land depends on the voluntary participation of households and units assigned to manage the land. Although the district and all levels of sectors and enterprises have stepped up propaganda and mobilized households to participate, it has not been convincing. The reason may be that households are managing and using land effectively; secondly, the interests of all parties may not be satisfied when discussing the implementation of projects. Most businesses want to lease land for a long time to invest in large-scale production, however, currently the lease period is only at the longest level of up to 5 years, so many businesses and units are not interested in investing. At the same time, the Covid-19 epidemic has also slowed down the research and survey process of many businesses.

Ông Hoàng Văn Hồng ở xã Nghĩa Hiếu (Nghĩa Đàn) đầu tư trồng 1 ha măng tây vào giữa năm 2020; Hầu hết các vườn mẫu ở Nghĩa Đàn được xây dựng hệ thống tưới tự động; Các mô hình trồng bí, cam ở Nghĩa Đàn. Ảnh: Nguyên Sơn - Minh Thái
Mr. Hoang Van Hong in Nghia Hieu commune (Nghia Dan) invested in planting 1 hectare of asparagus in mid-2020; Most of the model gardens in Nghia Dan have automatic irrigation systems; Models of growing squash and oranges in Nghia Dan. Photo: Nguyen Son - Minh Thai

“The district’s guiding and implementing viewpoint is to persistently focus on land concentration and accumulation, and apply high technology in agricultural development. Along with stabilizing forest land and exploiting existing water surfaces, the district continues to carry out parallel tasks of promoting parties to join in land accumulation to form large production areas; promoting investment attraction in the agricultural sector to increase the capacity for post-harvest preservation, processing and consumption of agricultural products,” said Mr. Lam Van Thang - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghia Dan district.

According to Mr. Lam Van Thang, the overarching goal of land concentration and accumulation is to improve the efficiency of agricultural land use. In the immediate future, when there are no land accumulation models, the district will strengthen mobilization and support for farmers to develop models applying high technology in agricultural production, and seek more connections to promote the production, preservation, processing and consumption of agricultural products.