(VNFU Website) – In the recent years, local authorities and sectors takes investment in agricultural development towards commodity production and hi-tech application very seriously with the ambition to create VietGAP certified intensive and specialized farming areas, increase the value generated on the same area. Currently, there are many traditional farm products in the province able to find their place in the market such as longan, turmeric powder, banana, lychee, clean vegetable, meat, etc. Those product are supplied to many neighbouring provinces, cities and very well received.

Clean vegetables are provided to many provinces, cities and well received

All over Hung Yen emerged many safe vegetable farming models using new technologies such as Phu Thinh Cooperative (Phu Thinh Commune, Kim Dong District), Yen Phu Cooperative (Yen Phu Commune, Yen My District), Nhat Viet Vegetables Co. (Hung Yen City) (applying Japanese technology), etc.

For the recent winter crop, Tien Lu District produced in a total area of 1,300 ha with vegetables like maize, potato, squash, pumpkin, soya bean, etc. The producers included some VietGAP adopted safe vegetable model in Thien Phien Commune with 2.7 ha, disease-free potato model in Nhat Tan Commune with nearly 5 ha, some clean vegetable and mushroom group and cooperatives, etc.

In order to set up an efficient disease-free potato model, Nhat Tan Commune had conducted surveys, prepared relevant plans for each area to pave the way for its members in services including seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides etc. Up to now, the commune has brought the model to the majority of farmers there.

Furthermore, during the whole progress, people in charge at communal level constantly supervised, reminded farmers not to spontaneously use fertilizers and pesticides to avoid their residues in potatoes. This was meant to help farmers carry out safe production process, assure that their products meet requirements.

Hoang Van Phong (Phuong Truong Village) shared that for the recent winter crop his family grew 14,400 m2 of potatoes as part of the model undertook in the commune. Before the crop started, all farm households were trained in process and practices of disease-free potato farming such as seed selection, pest and disease prevention with authorized pesticides, pre-harvest processing, etc. Thanks to that, the potatoes of his family developed very well, said him.

According to Nguyen Duc Nang, Chief of the District’s Agriculture and Rural Development Division, stated that the preliminary assessment indicated that winter vegetable models in the district showed good economic efficiency with total value reaching 70-75 billion dong. Area of winter plants grown by models, projects, cooperatives in the region, basically, met requirements of food safety. To small scale farm households yet to be able to set up cooperatives, the district encourages them to gather to form safe vegetable farming groups which would gradually replace chemical pesticides with probiotics.

Another example that is a pioneer in clean vegetable model in the province is the new-styled Phu Cu Cooperative located in Tien Tien Commune, Phu Cu District. Founded in November 2016, it was the first unit in the province to specialize in producing safe VietGAP certified vegetables, and now it is also taking the production towards organic practices with some initial results.

Beginning with an area of nearly 5 ha with only 7 initial members, those members were always concerned about the best way to optimize their home town’s land. And ultimately with their youthful energy, creativity, passion, efforts, a lot of area of rice paddy which used to be low in yield was transformed into the famous safe vegetable farming area of the district.

Targeting at products that are truely safe to consumers’ health, all of the cooperative’s input materials must be made sure to be clean like clean water, clean soil, clean seeds, etc. Moreover, the usage of fertilizers and pesticides is monitored via a strict procedure with detailed daily records of each type and isolated duration of each plant. In addition, the cooperative also adds biofertilizers imported from the US and makes use of well-rotted agricultural by-products to provide safe nutrients for plants.

Aside from the fact that every member directly remove pests and butterflies by hand, sweep net and other methods to protect the vegetables, the cooperative also uses biopesticides made of a garlic and chili soaking liquid to spray on leaf vegetables so as to assure food safety requirements.

In the recent crop, with more than 20 types of vegetables including water spinach, amaranth, tomato, etc., the total yield hit 360 tons. Cleaned and processed products are put into packages which weigh 20-30 kg per pack with clear labels and origin tracking stamps. Periodically, products of the cooperative are tested by Agriculture and Rural Development Division.

At the begining of December 2017, Phu Cu Cooperative was granted VietGAP certificate. As a result, its products would be highly rated and more trusted by consumers.

Models complying safe production process have been drawing farmers’ attention and starting to bring back good results. They also helps change the farmers’ awareness of production practices, more specifically, instead of old farming methods they changed to the safe ones.

In the future, the local authorities and relevant sectors will continue to fulfill their role to connect farmers with enterprises. This will help farmers with consumption as their area of safe vegetable farming are getting larger and larger.

Ngoc Mai - translated by Mai Huong