Sustainable agriculture in Dien Chau
(Baonghean)Intensive investment, application of scientific and technological advancements in production, and bold transformation of crop structure and seasons to create high economic value are outstanding successes in the agricultural production sector of Dien Chau district. Therefore, along with rice, Dien Chau has also built famous brands for various vegetables and crops such as peanuts, sesame, kohlrabi, cabbage, and watermelon…
Rice is the main crop of Dien Chau's agriculture sector, but recently the planted area has been gradually decreasing (although rice production continues to increase due to intensive farming and high yields). Consequently, the area of vegetables and other crops has increased due to their high economic efficiency. A typical example is peanuts; the district's planted area is between 3,500 and 3,900 hectares, but in a good harvest season, the average yield reached 27 quintals/hectare, resulting in a total production of 10,530 tons of peanuts.
In the spring of 2013, due to complex weather conditions, the district only cultivated 3,073 hectares with an average yield of 26.3 quintals/hectare (total production reaching 8,082 tons). Annual revenue from peanut cultivation exceeds 200 billion VND, accounting for 15.08% of the district's agricultural sector value. Because peanuts are grown using plastic mulch (nearly 70% of the area), following proper procedures, selecting high-yielding varieties such as L26 and L14, and applying advanced cultivation techniques, including micronutrient fertilization and integrated pest management, the peanuts achieve high yields and quality, and are consistently favored by the export market.
Harvesting peanuts in Dien Thinh - Dien Chau.
With the determination to expand peanut cultivation area and affirm the product's position in the national peanut market, the district has effectively utilized the province's policies on supporting investment in agricultural and rural development in Nghe An province, including the policy supporting investment in building "Large-scale model fields" in Nghe An province during the 2013-2015 period. In addition, the district has also issued policies to support training, production guidance, and especially provides 20 million VND/hectare to communes that complete large-scale model fields, and 10 million VND/year to communes that build high-income peanut fields. Simultaneously, it has invested in developing technical infrastructure to serve irrigation and drainage for peanut cultivation.
Clearly, thanks to the timely attention and investment support from all levels and sectors, and the dynamism and flexibility in agricultural production of the people, peanut cultivation in Dien Chau has achieved remarkable results. However, it is evident that this sector has not yet made a strong "breakthrough" to change the mindset and production practices of peanut growers. Recognizing this, Dien Chau district has recently decided to choose a new investment direction for peanut cultivation: building large-scale model fields. In the spring of 2013, the district integrated various programs and projects and boldly supported and invested in technical infrastructure, seeds, capital, and technology... mobilizing people in Dien Hung, Dien Thinh, Dien Ky communes, etc., to build large-scale model fields, planting over 165 hectares of peanuts, and achieving a yield of nearly 28 quintals/hectare.
Following that auspicious start, Dien Chau district was planned and invested in by the province to build a large-scale model rice field in Dien Hung commune. Ms. Hoang Thi Huong, Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, stated: “After the province issued a decision on some policies supporting investment in the construction of the “Large-Scale Model Rice Field” and the guiding documents from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the district directed specialized departments to survey and select a location for the large-scale model rice field. Then, they organized the implementation to households within the planned area of the large-scale model rice field in Dien Hung commune to disseminate information to farmers about the Party and State's policies, the rights and obligations of households participating in the large-scale model rice field, and simultaneously organized training on technical procedures. With a scale of 31 hectares, planted with the L14 peanut variety in the spring of 2013, and thanks to the correct implementation of the procedures, the average yield reached 28 quintals/hectare.”
The results of implementing large-scale model fields show that peanut yields increased by 1-2 quintals/hectare compared to traditional production methods. However, several difficulties were encountered during implementation, such as: some fields lacked businesses guaranteeing product purchase, the area of large-scale model fields was limited, and the province's policy on implementing large-scale model fields was restrictive. The district's policy of providing 20 million VND/hectare in support did not effectively encourage communes to actively participate in building model fields...
The construction of large-scale model fields in Dien Chau is currently a pilot project, so it is crucial to address existing shortcomings. Currently, in Dien Chau, businesses are cooperating with farmers to produce high-quality peanuts, then handling the procurement and processing on-site, with a large portion of the product being exported. The private enterprise Sy Thang in Dien Thinh has implemented a "closed-loop" production process, from organizing training on new peanut cultivation techniques for farmers, providing seeds and fertilizers, etc., and has invested tens of billions of dong in building factories and purchasing processing equipment to meet export quality standards. This enterprise has also benefited from the "Agricultural Competitiveness Project," thus establishing a long-term partnership with peanut farmers.
The agricultural land in Dien Chau district is mainly suitable for rice, peanuts, and corn... but thanks to boldly changing the crop structure and seasons, and applying scientific and technological advancements to production, the district has developed more than 2,000 hectares of vegetables and crops in recent years, with the yield and quality of goods increasing rapidly every year. In Dien Thanh commune, farmers have been very successful in growing vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower... Mr. Phan Nhat Thanh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Thanh commune said: "To meet the strict requirements of consumers regarding product quality, the commune always encourages vegetable growers to apply technical advancements in production and choose short-day varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases, irrigate with clean water, and control pests and diseases to achieve high yields, good quality, and ensure food safety... Therefore, the brand of green vegetables from the commune has spread throughout the province and the northern provinces."
To rapidly develop the area of commercial vegetable crops, Dien Chau has planned and implemented the plan to build commercial vegetable growing areas, while applying mechanisms and policies to encourage people to boldly invest in intensive farming. With this investment direction, not only is Dien Thanh famous for vegetables, but Dien Xuan commune is also famous for winter cucumbers, and Dien Phong for summer-autumn watermelons... By changing the crop structure and implementing intensive production, the vegetable and fruit farming industry in Dien Chau annually harvests about 26,000 tons of products and achieves a value of about 104 billion VND (accounting for 5.32% of the value of the district's agricultural sector).
Despite consistently achieving remarkable results in agricultural production, farmers in Dien Chau always proactively research, explore, and innovate to find new and highly effective methods and approaches. This is one of the key factors that has helped Dien Chau farmers prosper from farming.
Text and photos: Hoang Vinh
