Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho plans to restructureits agricultural sector towards increasing added value and sustainabledevelopment during 2018-2022 under a project launched in the locality on August22.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNguyen Ngoc He, the project looks to improve quality and competitiveness of thelocal farm produce, build key goods groups and concentrated production zones applyingadvanced technologies, and promote value chain development.

During 2018-2020, the city’s agricultural production value is expected to grow anaverage of 3.5 percent per year while capital injected into the sector isplanned to increase 17 percent per year.

The city targets more than 2.5 percent in the growth of agro-forestry-fisheryproduction for 2018-2020 period. High-tech agriculture will be strongly developedthis time.

Building high-quality rice fields and safe vegetable zones meeting marketdemands as well as branching out urban agricultural models and orchard gardensin combination with eco-tourism are in the first line of the measures torealise the set goals.

The sector will focus on improving productivity and quality of plants anddomestic animals as well as raising competitiveness of local farm produce.

By 2020, nearly 100,000 hectares of farming land will be cultivated, with onefifth of which to be applied with high technologies. 25,000 hectares inefficientrice farming land will be shifted to aquaculture and cultivation of other crops.

Besides ensuring appropriate irrigational system, the province will help localfarmers improve production capacity and build advanced production models.

Three high-tech agricultural zones will be built at the Agricultural Seed Centre,Hau River Farm, and Co Do Farm. Upon completion, the facilities will beresponsible for coordinating high-tech agriculture network, and working withinstitutes, universities and enterprises to study and apply new technologies.

Also, Can Tho will pilot bio-tech application models and transfer technologiesto local farmers.

Due attention has been paid to investment attraction, connection betweenbusinesses and local cooperatives and households in producing and sellingproducts, disease prevention for crops and animals, and building and promotion oflocal agricultural brands.

The agricultural restructuring project was first launched in the city in 2013. Afterfive years of implementation , value of agricultural production increased 3.2percent per year, and earning from one hectare of crops surges 7 percent to32.5 million VND (1,440 USD), while that from one hectare of aquaculture pickedup 9.2 percent to 99.7 million VND (4,287 USD).

Currently, the city has nine agricultural products granted geographical indicationand collective brands. It has established 238 new agricultural cooperatives, aswell as lured many investors in production, processing and selling of localfarm produce.-VNA