Hoa Vien Farm in Yen Binh commune, Thach That district is known for its organic farming model and application of advanced technology. (Photo courtesy of Hanoi Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department) The COVID-19 pandemic and fuel price rises have led to theincreased costs of fertilisers, pesticides, cultivars, and declining profits.
Responding to the challenges, the city has been developing green,environment-friendly agricultural models, aiming to increase efficiency bysaving materials and recycling agricultural waste at the household level.
The model of cooperative is also becoming more popular.
According to Dong Thi Vinh, Director of Hong Ha Safe VegetablesCooperative, the business has taken measures to produce clean produce andminimise the impact on the environment.
It has been requiring its members not to use chemical pesticidesand apply technology into production and product processing.
On a daily average, the cooperative harvests 500kg ofvegetables to deliver to supermarkets and convenience stores, equivalent to anearning of 4 million VND (171 USD).
Another organic agricultural cooperative named Nam Phuong Tien inChuong My district has five hectares dedicated to organic farming, alongside1,500ha for safe cultivation of Dien pomelo.
Vu Thi Huyen, the cooperative’s director, said that to generate asource of clean produce that responds to the market’s demands, the businessonly uses environment-friendly supplies in its production.
Safe produce can have up to 20 per cent higher value compared toproducts following traditional methods, she added.
Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, head of the Hanoi Agricultural, Forestry andFisheries Quality Assurance Department, said the capital city currently has5,044ha for growing safe vegetables and more than 50ha for organicfarming, alongside various agricultural production models with advancedtechnology.
Ta Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the city's Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development, said that growing green, safe,environment-friendly produce is a must in modern agriculture.
This will not only create favourable conditions for localities toform large-scale production areas and for quality control, but also bring inhigh economic value for farmers.
Hanoi has transformed more than 40,000ha from rice productionto new agricultural models, of which 15,600ha are dedicated tohigh-quality rice, 3,000ha to safe vegetables, and 7,400ha for fruittrees.
Farmers are also able to produce their own organic fertiliser bycombining agricultural byproducts and bioproducts.
This helps reduce some of the costs while maintaining thestandards for clean production, increasing values and ensuring income for localpeople.
Tuong also said that to change the habit of using chemicalfertilisers and pesticides, the department has held many training sessions onthe nutrition needed in each stage of growth for optimal plant health.
Thanks to these measures, the amount of pesticides used by Hanoifarmers is among the lowest level, in comparison to other cities and provinces.
The city’s agricultural sector will continue to consult the localauthorities on preferential policies in regard to credit, business locations,trade promotion, while also planning concentrated production areas and applyingadvanced technology.
Therefore, safe and effective production at a large scale ispromoted to respond to the demands of the domestic market and for exports./.
VNA
