Long An (VNS/VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Long An hopes toensure 20,000ha of paddies are farmed using advanced techniques by the endof this year.

Nguyen ChiThien, Deputy Director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said these lands would be in Vinh Hung, Tan Hung, Thanh Hoa, Moc Hoa,and Tan Thanh districts and Kien Tuong town.

Theselocalities now have 62 different models that use advanced techniques on an areaof 13,400ha.

Farmersadopting these models use certified high-quality rice seeds and machinery inall stages, organic fertilisers, and biocides, and grow flowers around ricefields to attract insects that are natural enemies of brown planthoppers. Rice produced under these models has guaranteed outlets.

They havereduced production costs by 2 – 2.5 million VND (86 – 107 USD) per hectare andincreased yields by 300 – 500 VND kilogrammes, according to the department.

Participatingfarmers earn 4 – 6 million VND (171 – 258 USD) per hectare more than fromnormal farming methods, it said.  

Nguyen ThiDieu Nga, Director of the Vinh Thuan Agriculture Cooperative in Vinh Hung district,said her cooperative was selected to implement an advanced rice farming modelon 50ha in 2016.

Itreceived assistance with building a warehouse and rice-drying facility andbuying machinery like laser-operated land levellers, ploughing machinesand combined harvesters, she said.

For thissummer – autumn crop, it is growing 50ha to Vietnamese good agriculturalpractice (VietGAP) standards.

It signedcontracts with a company for selling its paddy at 500 – 1,000 VND a kilogrammehigher than market prices.

In Kien Tuongtown, the application of advanced farming techniques on nearly 3,400ha hasincreased rice yields and farmers’ incomes.

Ha Van Nua,who has a 2.5ha rice field in Tuyen Thanh commune, said he followed all theinstructions carefully, including using low seedling transplant density.  

“[The lowdensity] offers many benefits and is more effective than high densitytransplantation.”

Vo ThanhTong, deputy head of the town’s Economic Division, said advanced techniqueswere used under three rice farming models on a total of 149ha in the summer –autumn crop.

Itinvolved 56 households, and most of them used certified rice seeds andtechniques like ‘one must and six reductions’, he said.  

Underthis method, farmers use certified seeds and reduce seeding, plant protectionchemicals, nitrogen fertilisers, irrigation, greenhouse gas emissions, andpost-harvest losses.

Thiensaid to increase the area under advanced farming techniques, the departmentwould strengthen advocacy to raise awareness among farmers, co-operative teams,co-operatives, and rice companies about their benefits.

It wouldcontinue to provide training to farmers in advanced techniques and encouragethem to grow rice to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, he said.

Theprovince would promote trading and urge more rice companies to sign contractswith farmers, he added.-VNS/VNA