Part 2: The highlighted high-tech agriculture

Binh Duong is not only known as an industrial province but also a bright spot of high-tech agriculture with the most modern and large-scale farming areas in the country. Although agriculture accounts for only 3% of the province's GDP, the agricultural sector, especially high-tech agriculture, is of great attention paid by the province to resources and investment attraction.

An Thai hi-tech agricultural zone (Unifarm) in Phu Giao district is a brilliant place not only in Binh Duong but also across the country. In the photo: Preliminary processing and packaging of bananas for export is conducted at Unifarm

Shifting in the right direction

In 1997, the proportion of agriculture in the economic structure of the province was 22.80%, which was decreased to 16.70% in 2001 and 3.15% in 2020. The structure of crop production and animal husbandry has been shifted towards increasing the proportion of products with high productivity and economic efficiency and products with greater export value. Areas specializing in crop and livestock cultivation develop stably and are increasingly shaped according to the planning to reflect the success in the policy of economic restructuring towards industrialization and modernization.

Mr. Mai Hung Dung, Standing Member of Binh Duong provincial Party Committee, Standing Deputy Chairman of the provincial People's Committee was quoted as saying Binh Duong's agriculture and rural development sector is promoting its achievements in the program of building a new countryside, aiming to improve the quality of life, model according to the proposed plan, especially the speeding up the construction progress of Bach Dang Smart Village. Along with that, infrastructure with focus on irrigation development and capacity for natural disaster prevention and control and climate change adaptation have been improved to actively integrate into the world, and promote the application of science and technology, and transform digital agriculture.

Implementing the instructions of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to promote the application of high technology in agriculture, Binh Duong has had very specific policies to implement Decision No. 575 of the Prime Minister approving the master plan of hi-tech agricultural zones and regions to 2020 with a vision to 2030. Since 2017, Binh Duong has restructured horticulture in the direction of developing models of urban agriculture, high-tech agriculture, areas for specialized cultivation of rubber trees, specialty fruit trees, and safe vegetables associated with processing and consuming according to regulations. Accordingly, the province also has preferential policies to attract and encourage the establishment of hi-tech agricultural enterprises, the formation of hi-tech agricultural areas, and the promotion of agricultural development in accordance with the laws towards high-tech urban agriculture; thereby, the income and living standards of rural people are increasing to make important contribution to the socio-economic development of the province.

Up to now, the total area of ​​hi-tech application in cultivation in the province has reached over 5,763 hectares with valuable crops such as vegetables, mushrooms, fruit trees, orchids and ornamental plants. Binh Duong currently has 4 hi-tech agricultural zones in Tan Hiep and Phuoc Sang communes of Phu Giao district, Vinh Tan ward of Tan Uyen town, An Thai commune of Phu Giao district and Tien Hung area of Phu Giao district and Bac Tan Uyen district. Up to now, Binh Duong has gradually created brands, identified agricultural products, and built value chains. As a result, only in 2021, the province has 28 OCOP products in phase 1, of which, 8 products get 4 stars and 20 products get 3 stars.

The remarkable point in recent years is that farmers in the province have boldly invested and actively applied high technology in the production of valuable crops such as cantaloupe, citrus, and banana. For agricultural production households, investments in intensive farming, designed automatic sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, grown plants by hydroponic method, production processes according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards have been made to bring up the highest productivity and product quality. Up to now, the province has about 80 production facilities that have been granted production certificates according to VietGAP process in the field of cultivation with a total area of ​​about 500 hectares. Thereby, the average value of agricultural production has gained nearly VND 100 million per hectare per year; some pomelo growing models applying high technology have an average income of over VND 1 billion per hectare.

Along with cultivation, the province's livestock industry has also maintained stable development as the industry structure has changed strongly from farming at household scale to farm scale of high technology. The scale of production value of the livestock industry increases gradually from VND 219 billion in 1997 to VND 24,189 billion VND in 2021 - an increase of VND 23,970 billion compared to 1997, accounting for 56.2% of the agricultural production value. The total swine herd in the province currently includes about 912,000, of which high-tech farming accounts for over 60% of the heard. The total number of poultry flocks is about 13.9 million with high-tech application of livestock accounting for over 70%. Currently, in the province, many companies and private livestock farms have been in the top of the application of high-tech livestock such as CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company, Emivest Feedmill Viet Co. Ltd. Nam Vinh Tan livestock farm system, 3F Viet Joint Stock Company among many more.

Building modern agriculture

Assessing the current situation of high-tech agriculture in Binh Duong, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, President of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh city, said that despite the decreased proportion, Binh Duong's agriculture was still on development, and the growth rate was stable as evidenced by the 1997-2020 of average increase of 2.93% a year. The scale of production value of agriculture, forestry and fishery at current prices increases gradually from VND 1,424 billion in 1997 to VND 23,949 billion in 2021, increasing 16.81 times from 1997. The effectiveness of the hi-tech agricultural model has spread throughout the province, contributing to more jobs for rural workers, close link of the processing industry with agriculture, and a foundation for the agricultural integration.

Entering a new phase, the rovincial People's Committee has issued the plan on restructuring the agricultural sector for 2021-2025 with orientation to 2030. The overall goal of the plan is to develop agriculture with many economic sectors with high-tech application of agriculture to respond well to climate change. The internal structural transformation of the agricultural sector towards urban agriculture, high-tech agriculture, organic agriculture, and ecological agriculture are promoted with focus on developing key crops and livestock in the direction of producing large commodities with high productivity, safety, efficiency and competitiveness, increased value and profit per unit area of agricultural land area. Production is linked with the consumption market, the processing industry and the process of urbanization.

In the coming time, the province will continue to focus on restructuring in the direction of developing urban agriculture, high-tech application agriculture, large-scale production associated with advantages and markets. Along with that, policies to develop urban agriculture and high-tech agriculture are disseminated and strengthened. Brands of agricultural products, linking chains, and traceability to promote consumption of advantageous products are established. At the same time, research and application of the achievements of the 4^th industrial revolution, production models applying new technical advances, trade promotion, market forecasting and linkage to consume agricultural products for farmers are promoted.

Reported by Thoai Phuong – Translated by Vi Bao