Genetically modified corn increases land value

(Baonghean) - Since ancient times, the riverside alluvial land in Nghe An has been a "hit or miss" production area. Since the pilot implementation of the genetically modified corn model, the potential of the alluvial land has been awakened...

Testing genetically modified corn model in Hung Nguyen district.

Hung Linh - one of the communes with the movement of growing corn in general and corn on alluvial land quite early in Hung Nguyen district. The time we arrived was the peak time for people to harvest corn to sell plants to livestock factories. On the fields, trucks with all kinds of license plates from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and some provinces in the interior came to the foot of the fields to buy green corn for livestock feed.

Mr. Ho Quang Thong - Chairman of Hung Linh Agricultural Service Cooperative said: Not only TH Food Chain Joint Stock Company buys whole corn for Hung Linh farmers under the coordination contract between the district and the unit, but also some other enterprises such as Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Thanh Hoa and the Animal Husbandry Farm in Nghi Loc.

With 65 hectares of land and high productivity, corn has almost found its place in the annual crop structure in Hung Linh. Every spring, people grow it, whether for green trees or seeds, with a value of 1.5 million VND/sao.

If planted with conventional corn varieties, the grass grows a lot, so it takes a lot of effort to weed. In addition, the ability to resist pests is poor, so corn is often eaten by stem borers, leading to economic inefficiency.

Therefore, based on the direction and guidance of the district, this spring crop, the Cooperative organized and mobilized people to participate in planting. With 97 households, the Cooperative planted 5 hectares from December 24, 2015 to April 24, 2016 and is now ready for harvest.

Farmers in Hung Linh commune (Hung Nguyen) harvest green corn to sell to livestock companies.

After 4 months of implementation, in addition to the actual yield of 1 ton/sao, equivalent to 20 tons of plants/ha, the value reached 18 million VND, higher than normal corn (only about 15 tons/ha, value about 1.4 - 1.5 million VND/sao).

Currently, Hung Linh commune has about 65 hectares of alluvial land that can grow corn, but the proportion of genetically modified corn is still low. Apart from the 5-hectare pilot model with support from the district, there is no additional area that people have deployed themselves.

The advantages of genetically modified corn, although only recently tested, show good disease resistance, high weed resistance (can use herbicides) and good growth, so farmers are very supportive.

The entire Hung Nguyen district currently has 9 communes with riverside alluvial land, with an area of ​​up to 750 hectares that can grow corn. With the above advantages, genetically modified corn has a lot of potential for development in Hung Nguyen.

However, the current obstacle is that most corn seeds must be imported and the domestic corn seed institute can only produce a small quantity, so the price is quite expensive. Each hectare of corn needs 16 kg of seeds, with a price of 180,000 VND/kg, the cost of seeds is nearly 2.9 million VND/ha, which is a significant barrier.

Nguyen Hai