Many ways to develop commercial crops in Thanh Chuong
(Baonghean.vn) - With the orientation of developing commodity agriculture, Thanh Chuong district has been taking innovative and creative steps and approaches. The results are that the area of commodity crops and the economic value of agriculture increase year by year.
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Leaders of Thanh Chuong District Party Committee learn about the organic orange production model in Thanh Duc commune. Photo: MH |
The clear role of the Farmers' Association
On an area of more than 5 sao of corn, in 2020, Mr. Nguyen Phung Nam's family in Tuong Xuan hamlet, Xuan Tuong commune switched to growing squash. In the first two years, due to lack of techniques, the squash plants were affected by pests and diseases, and the quality and yield were poor.
Entering the winter-spring crop of 2022 - 2023, on the basis of support from the District and Commune Farmers' Association in terms of seeds, fertilizers, especially direct technical guidance in each growth period of squash, the economic efficiency that squash brings, according to Mr. Nam: Up to now, there has never been a crop on the land of Xuan Tuong commune with such high value as squash. More than 5 sao of squash of the family within 4 months earned 210 million VND, of which the total cost was about 15 million VND.
Mr. Nguyen Phung Nam said that in addition to his family, there are 5 other households growing squash with a total area of 1 hectare, earning 900 million VND/4 months. Currently, the squash growers have planted the second crop which is about to bear fruit.
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Pumpkin growing model in Xuan Tuong commune; early spring peanut growing in Thanh Long commune and potato growing in Phong Thinh commune. Photo: MH |
In Thanh Xuan commune, agricultural production conditions are difficult, leading to slow changes in people's thinking in implementing economic models and converting crop and livestock structures.
From that difficulty, based on the direct guidance of the District and Commune Farmers' Associations and each hamlet Farmers' Association in the direction of staying close to the locality, "holding hands and showing work", working with farmers, in Thanh Xuan there have been a number of new effective economic models.
The most successful was converting some cassava growing areas to growing green squash, which Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong - Head of the Farmers' Association of Xuan Hien hamlet, said that in the winter-spring crop of 2022 - 2023, his family worked on 2 sao within 4 months and earned more than 60 million VND. The second crop (preparing to harvest fruit) with better experience and techniques, so the yield and quality of fruit will be higher than the first crop.
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Officials of the Thanh Chuong District Farmers' Association inspect the melon model in Thanh Tien commune. Photo: MH |
In Thanh Xuan commune, with the advantage of large home gardens and forest gardens, the Farmers' Association is actively directing the construction of a combined garden, pond, barn, and forest model; in which it is oriented to grow some commercial crops, such as tea, oranges, grapefruits, etc., combined with hill-range chickens and goat farming.
Implementing the Resolution of the Thanh Chuong District Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term, and at the same time carrying out the task assigned by the District Party Committee Standing Committee to the Farmers' Association to take on the main task: developing commodity crops, the District Farmers' Association Executive Committee has developed an implementation plan for the entire period of 2021-2025, and at the same time deployed and assigned specific targets to each association base to build model farmers' gardens, build garden models according to new rural standards and economic models.
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Models of growing tangerines in Phong Thinh commune, Dien grapefruit in Thanh Lien commune and organic oranges in Thanh Duc commune. Photo: MH |
Along with that, the District Farmers' Association coordinates with the grassroots to strengthen the organization of training courses on cultivation, animal husbandry, and scientific and technical training; organizes tours and model learning activities; and at the same time connects to supply quality crops at suitable prices for farmers.
Up to now, the whole district has built 732 model farmer gardens, 94 new rural standard gardens; of which 21 gardens have been recognized as new rural standard gardens.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khanh - Chairman of Thanh Chuong District Farmers' Association, in addition to directing the construction of model farmer gardens and new rural standard gardens to create economic value, while contributing to creating a green - clean - beautiful rural landscape; Farmers' Associations at all levels in the district also focus on propaganda, mobilization and directing farmers to convert crop structure from ineffective to highly profitable crops.
Such as converting and planting squash on more than 20 hectares in Thanh Khai, Thanh Tien, Thanh Hoa, Thanh Chi, Xuan Tuong communes... The District Farmers' Association has successfully built a model of growing Tho Hao ginseng in Thanh Ha commune, growing summer-autumn rice on abandoned land in Thanh Xuan commune, and growing squash in Thanh Tien commune; at the same time, in 38 communes and towns, a total of 106 effective economic models have been built.
Along with that, in recent times, Thanh Chuong Farmers' Associations at all levels have also actively directed the establishment of 24 new professional associations for fruit tree growing, tea growing and organic tea services, goat raising, and black apple snail raising. Thereby, contributing to promoting effective agricultural production models, increasing farmers' income; promoting the realization of the agricultural development orientation towards commodities in Thanh Chuong district.
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Thanh Chuong District Party Committee leaders listen to people's concerns about investment policies for high-tech agricultural development. Photo: MH |
Sustainable development direction
One of the viewpoints and development orientations set by the Party Committee and the Thanh Chuong District Government to resolutely and persistently direct is to shift the structure and develop commodity crops. Therefore, since the previous term (2015 - 2020), the district has issued a Project on developing commodity crops and at the beginning of the 2020 - 2025 term, it continued to issue a Project on shifting the structure of crops associated with processing and consumption of products.
According to Mr. Tran Phi Hung - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Chuong district, in addition to assigning the responsibility of taking charge of the "spearhead" of commodity crops to the Farmers' Association to create resonance, the task of developing commodity crops is the common task and responsibility of the Party Committee and government from the district to the grassroots level.
The district leaders directly visited and learned from Nam Dinh and Son La provinces; in each commune and hamlet, officials and farmers were also organized to learn from each other, hamlets and communes that had not yet done it went to learn from hamlets and communes that had done well in and outside the district. Thanh Chuong focused on directing the integration of resources to organize many training classes on commercial tree planting, technical training, and support for model building, seeds, fertilizers, etc.
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Thanh Chuong district leaders visit fruit tree growing model in the area. Photo: NVCC |
From that determination, in addition to increasing the area and investing in intensive cultivation of some crops such as tea, oranges, grapefruit, black canarium; in recent years, Thanh Chuong district has promoted the expansion of squash acreage, introducing some new crops such as potatoes; sweet corn; melons: cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon, cucumber; dragon fruit, lotus, garlic...
Regarding acacia trees, the district focuses on promoting and directing the development of FSC sustainable forest management certification to create conditions for raw wood materials to be processed and exported to developed markets.
Thanh Chuong district currently has more than 4,700 hectares of tea; nearly 500 hectares of oranges; nearly 330 hectares of grapefruit; more than 100 hectares of squash; more than 23,000 hectares of acacia (of which nearly 6,500 hectares have FSC certification).
Currently, Thanh Chuong district has just issued a Project on developing organic agricultural production associated with linking the value chain of tea, orange and grapefruit trees, for the period 2023 - 2025, with a vision to 2030.
Accordingly, the specific goal set is to produce according to the value chain, creating organic tea, orange and grapefruit products that meet Vietnamese standards (TCVN 11041:2017) and move towards meeting international standards currently applied in Vietnam; building Thanh Chuong district to become a pioneering, effective and sustainable locality in developing organic tea, orange and grapefruit production, meeting the requirements of both economic development and ensuring the environment and health of both producers and consumers.