Creating clean agricultural value

(Baonghean) - To ensure clean products from agricultural production, Yen Thanh district has strengthened management, inspection, and recommended businesses and households to implement clean practices from production to preservation. Putting the quality of agricultural products first, the people of the district have gradually affirmed their reputation as well as sustainable economic value.

In Tien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) these days, in the fields, people are actively cultivating and fertilizing the green eggplant crop to harvest the final crop. The whole commune has more than 24 hectares of eggplant, and people here have been attached to this plant for more than ten years.

Taking us to visit an eggplant field in Nhan Tien hamlet, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Con, the hamlet chief, shared: “We have been growing eggplant for a long time, still taking care of it in the traditional way without spraying pesticides or using any stimulants. In the past, we only grew it for our family to eat, but later we expanded the area, planted more and brought it to the market to sell, so many people are looking to buy our products.”

Mr. Con also said that this variety of eggplant has worms, especially fruit borers, whiteflies, and leaf miners. People here tell each other how to prevent them by applying lime, cleaning the fields, killing worms by hand, and absolutely not spraying harmful pesticides.

Farmers in Tien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) take care of eggplants.

Besides green eggplant, Tien Thanh commune is also famous for supplying a large number of frog breeds and meat frogs to the provincial market. When field frogs are increasingly scarce, local households have quickly grasped the market demand and switched to raising frogs in tanks at home. It is worth mentioning that although the main purpose of raising frogs is to provide a source of goods for traders, households do not use growth stimulants during the care process.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Tam - a person with many years of experience raising frogs in Tien Thanh commune shared: "Food for raising frogs can come from many sources such as sea fish or golden apple snails... each year my family sells about 7,000 frogs for meat at a price of 50 - 60 thousand VND/kg, each frog weighs on average from 200 - 250 grams. Because of the reputation, the frogs are always guaranteed in quality, so when the season comes, traders come to buy them directly". According to Mr. Tam's experience, to limit pathogens in frogs, it is necessary to dry the bottom of the tank and disinfect the tank after each breeding period, so that the new batch of frogs will be healthy and of guaranteed quality.

In other communes of Yen Thanh district, farmers have also effectively produced clean agricultural products, such as raising hill chickens in Tay Thanh and Quang Thanh; growing oranges in Dong Thanh commune; growing cucumbers in Minh Thanh; and producing mushrooms in Nam Thanh.

As for mushrooms, Yen Thanh supplies the market with hundreds of tons of fresh and dried mushrooms of all kinds each year. In 2014 alone, the volume of mushrooms sold by Yen Thanh reached over 390 tons. To achieve this result, the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Product Quality Management has coordinated with relevant departments and sectors to guide people on techniques for building camps and clean mushroom production processes. Thanks to that, many households have had access to new mushroom growing techniques, ensuring product quality requirements.

Typically, the Doan Ket Mushroom Service Cooperative produces at 4 locations: Nam Thanh, Ly Thanh, Son Thanh and Tan Thanh and has been granted a certificate of meeting VietGAP agricultural production processes. Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, Head of Yen Thanh Agriculture Department said: “To have clean products, first of all, we must raise awareness for the people, from which practical production activities will be effective. Yen Thanh always focuses on propaganda and dissemination of clean production processes to the people, actively mobilizing farmers to apply the correct farming techniques to minimize the occurrence of diseases in crops and livestock, and limit the use of stimulants and toxic pesticides. At the same time, the district has also strengthened management of livestock farming and trading, not allowing the use of growth stimulants and stimulants, ensuring clean products. During that process, traders and businesses prefer clean products in the district, so people are more active in implementing clean production and livestock processes…”.

One of the clean agricultural products that is building a strong brand in Yen Thanh is Vinh Hoa herbal rice. In addition to the usual nutrients, herbal rice is also recognized by scientists as containing many valuable micronutrients that are beneficial to health such as calcium, iron... especially Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9, which are extremely rare substances in rice. Research and clinical trials have shown that with these micronutrients, herbal rice has the effect of supporting the treatment of some serious diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, blood sugar diseases and is especially effective for patients with diabetes. Like other agricultural products in Yen Thanh, herbal rice is grown according to organic production processes, ensuring cleanliness and safety for users. This type of rice has been tested at the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Control and the Center for Technical Standards, Measurement and Quality.

The awareness of clean production among Yen Thanh people is a positive sign showing a change in the way of farming, promising bumper crops with quality agricultural products and clean output trusted by consumers. That is an important factor for sustainable development. This also contributes significantly to minimizing negative impacts on the environment due to the residue of chemicals, pesticides, plant protection drugs...

However, in reality, not all localities are aware of and agricultural production activities ensure all such clean criteria. There are many localities that produce goods in large quantities, but when consumed, the market does not evaluate them as clean. That makes the products produced redundant, and the producers suffer losses. Therefore, the requirement for clean production is an important factor to promote economic value, including the awareness, ethics and health of those directly producing.

Phuong Thao