Many advantages available

Long An has a fairly large agricultural production area, about more than 311,000 hectares, with a rice cultivation area of ​​510,000 hectares (including 2-crop and 3-crop areas). Rice output in 2023 and 2024 will both reach over 3 million tons.

In implementing the Project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" (Project), the province registered 125,000 hectares by 2030, with 50,831 participating households.

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Long An, Vo Minh Thanh, said that the locality has many advantages based on its existing advantages when participating in this Project. In particular, the province has participated in the Vietnam Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Project (VnSAT) for the period 2016 - 2022. This is an advantage for Long An to continue implementing the Project on the existing foundation.

The VnSAT project is implemented in 5 districts: Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh and Kien Tuong town, with a participating area of ​​49,593 hectares, with 25,140 households. With the 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice project, the province has registered to expand to 3 more districts: Thanh Hoa, Thu Thua and Duc Hue.

In addition, Long An chose the High-tech Agricultural Development Program associated with restructuring the agricultural sector as one of the province's breakthrough programs during the two terms of the Provincial Party Congress, implemented in concentrated rice growing areas such as Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa and Kien Tuong, Thu Thua and Duc Hue towns.

Increase productivity, increase profits

In the last rice crop, Hung Tan Agricultural Cooperative (Tan Hung District) piloted high-quality rice cultivation to reduce emissions, using border-effect seeders and burying fertilizer. Farmers implemented a model using 80kg/ha of seed and 200kg/ha of fertilizer. With this production method, the amount of seed is reduced and no fertilizer is applied during the first month of sowing.

Thanks to that, the rice yield of the model is 100 - 120 kg/ha higher than outside, the production cost is 1.7 - 2.54 million VND/ha lower than outside the model. The profit is 20 - 28 million VND/ha, 3 - 10 million VND/ha higher than outside the model. In addition, farmers are also supported by fertilizer companies with 50% of the cost of sowing in the border rows and fertilizing, thereby reducing production costs.

Up to now, the provincial level has coordinated with the leading units to implement the sowing model on 121.4 hectares. Particularly for the models led by the district, 5 models have been sown, covering an area of ​​146.6 hectares. Currently, the district level is continuing to implement to achieve the plan of 25 models with an area of ​​580 hectares in 2025.

According to Vo Minh Thanh, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Long An, after the implementation of the Project, the locality has achieved positive results such as: the Project area is also the area that has implemented the VnSAT Project and the High-tech Agricultural Application Program, so people have been trained and accessed to technical advances and advanced farming processes.

At the same time, the province is implementing the results from pilot models to find technical solutions suitable for local ecological conditions. After one implementation season, the initial results of most models are good, reducing production costs and farmers will implement the next season to have a basis for evaluation.

Continue to expand

Besides the results achieved in implementing the Project, Long An still has difficulties, such as farmers' understanding of high-quality rice cultivation and emission reduction is still limited, some households still produce according to old practices, and the problem of collecting straw from the fields has not reached 100%.

In addition, the number of households in the region participating in linkages through cooperatives, cooperative groups and linking with enterprises is still limited. The number of enterprises participating in linkages with cooperatives and cooperative groups to invest and consume products is still small. The infrastructure serving rice production is not yet synchronized and needs to be further invested in the coming time. Furthermore, it is necessary to invest sufficiently to proactively manage irrigation water and apply synchronous farming methods.

Mr. Vo Minh Thanh said that in the coming time, the province will focus on solutions such as propaganda to raise awareness of all levels, sectors, producers and consumers of products, maximize the combined strength of the entire political system and the people, mobilize all resources to implement the Project to ensure the set roadmap.

“Long An focuses on thoroughly creating consensus from the province to the grassroots, especially now that the implementation of organizational restructuring will more or less affect the implementation of the Project. At the same time, the provincial agricultural sector will also advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue policies to support the application of science and technology, build models so that people have the conditions to access and boldly apply scientific and technological advances to production in the coming time,” Mr. Vo Minh Thanh added.

Previously, the Long An Provincial People's Committee approved the Project Implementation Plan for Phase 1 (2024 - 2025), which will focus on achieving 60,000 hectares of rice cultivation area in the VnSAT Project area and the province's high-tech rice area. Phase 2 (2026 - 2030), will continue to expand to reach 125,000 hectares in 8 districts and towns, with 62 communes and 50,831 participating households.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/long-an-tin-hieu-tich-cuc-tu-phat-trien-chuyen-canh-lua-chat-luong-cao-d747673.html