You have to decide "to raise that child," "to plant that tree," etc.

(Baonghean) - Nearly 30 years have passed since the reforms, during which time our country's economy – and that of our province – has shifted from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. Yet, it seems we still haven't escaped the question: What crops should we grow, what livestock should we raise to directly alleviate poverty, and further, to create wealth? Why is that? Let's start with a common principle, then move on to a summary of practical experience (or reality).

In principle, Marx once said: One society differs from another not in what it produces, but in how it produces it. For example: raising cattle free-range is different from raising them in confinement; 1,000 households each raising one cow is vastly different from a farm raising 1,000 cows; raising cattle using traditional methods is even more vastly different from raising them using modern technology. The products of cattle farming can be meat or milk. But the yield, quality, and price of meat and milk from different farming methods vary greatly. Thus, this principle shows us that what to raise and what to grow is necessary. However, the deciding factor is how to raise or grow them. And here, I will address two things: firstly, "the method of organization"; and secondly, "the method of technology."

A commodity economy differs from a self-sufficient economy. One produces for sale, while the other produces for self-consumption. Production for sale naturally requires consideration of output, and especially the quality and cost of the product, in order to capture the market and meet consumer demands.A market-driven production system needs to be competitive enough. Self-sufficient production, on the other hand, doesn't consider the market at all; it only needs to consider the needs of the producers themselves. Therefore, what crops to grow or what livestock to raise for sale is vastly different from what is raised for self-consumption. Consequently, the main issue lies in how the product is produced.

In summary, the current state of agricultural development (both provincial and national) has reached its limit. To achieve higher levels of development, we must break through this limit, meaning we must reorganize production to eliminate fragmentation and dispersion; and gradually move towards clean industry and high-tech agriculture. This means changing the methods of planting and raising crops. Some mountainous districts in our province have crops that could be considered specialties, such as Mong taro; green squash, pumpkin, and upland melons, which are still grown using traditional methods, on a small scale, and in a fragmented manner. There is "no involvement" from entrepreneurs or businesses in consumption and processing, so the products cannot reach the market, and the volume is insufficient... therefore, they are not enough to create wealth. As for newly introduced crops like passion fruit in Tri Le (Que Phong), they have only helped alleviate poverty, not create wealth. This is because the production methods remain the same: small-scale, fragmented, and the production techniques are only at the basic level of knowing how to plant. There are many realities from which we can conclude that: What crops to grow and what livestock to raise must be determined; but more importantly and decisively, it is the purpose of growing those crops and raising those livestock, and from there, how to grow and raise them, both in terms of production organization and technical and technological aspects.

Everyone recognizes that self-sufficient production, even with its best efforts, only provides enough to eat. To eradicate poverty quickly and sustainably, and to achieve prosperity, it is essential to shift from self-sufficient production to commodity production, and then to large-scale commodity production. To do this, we must move beyond the question of what crops to grow and what livestock to raise, and instead ask what to do and how to transform local and provincial agriculture into commodity production, and then to large-scale commodity production.

Truong Cong Anh