Growing green vegetables according to VietGAP process

Previously, people in Loc Thai commune, Loc Ninh district (Binh Phuoc province) mainly grew vegetables in the traditional, small-scale way, so productivity was not high, profits were low, and they even suffered losses.

With the desire to open a new direction for vegetable growers, in 2018, Loc Thai Commune Vegetable Growing Association was established.

To improve productivity and product quality, the association has mobilized members to apply science and technology (S&T) in vegetable production.

First, we built greenhouses and irrigation systems, then used biological fertilizers, reduced pesticide residues, etc., so productivity, quality, output, and number of crops increased compared to before.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Sanh in Hamlet 8, Loc Thai Commune, a member of the Loc Thai Commune Vegetable Growing Association, said that his family has 2 sao of land. Many years ago, he mainly grew vegetables based on experience, so the productivity was low.

Since joining the association, producing organically, applying science and technology, and benefiting from the project "Building a model for growing some fruit trees and vegetables in the border districts of Binh Phuoc province according to good agricultural practices (VietGAP) and global good agricultural practices (GlobalGAP)" under the Program to support the application of science and technology transfer to serve the socio-economic development of border districts of Binh Phuoc province in the period of 2020-2025, chaired by the Provincial Science and Technology Center, vegetable productivity has increased significantly, with profits in every crop.

Mr. Tran Van Vien in Thanh Tam hamlet, Thanh Binh town, Loc Ninh district, Binh Phuoc province takes care of his family's safe vegetable garden.

On average, Mr. Sanh sells about 70kg of clean vegetables to vegetable farms every day. He sells all the vegetables he produces, sometimes not enough to sell.

He is also one of 8 members of the Loc Thai Commune Vegetable Growing Association who were granted VietGAP certificates with 11 vegetable species including: sweet cabbage, green cabbage, mustard greens, Malabar spinach, amaranth, lettuce, perilla, coriander, green onions, mustard greens, and jute.

“Following VietGAP procedures, we have a safe vegetable garden, ensuring the health of consumers and direct farmers,” Mr. Sanh affirmed.

Growing safe vegetables - high economic efficiency

Considered one of the localities with a large area of ​​safe vegetable cultivation in Bu Dop district, Thanh Tam hamlet, Thanh Binh town has developed 13 vegetable growing households with about 4 hectares. Currently, this safe vegetable area mainly produces leafy vegetables such as: amaranth, Malabar spinach, lettuce, herbs, cruciferous vegetables,...

To produce safe vegetables, farmers follow the process right from the soil treatment stage, planting seedlings in the nursery, using clean water for irrigation, and preventing pests with biological pesticides. Mrs. Do Thi Sim's family in Thanh Tam hamlet grows 4 sao of vegetables, including about 1 sao of herbs.

Every day, she supplies the market with about 150kg of various vegetables, with prices ranging from 12-15 thousand VND/kg depending on the type; herbs are about 30 thousand VND/kg. Ms. Sim always adheres to the safe vegetable production process.

Especially for leafy vegetables, organic and microbial fertilizers must be stopped 15-20 days before harvest. The growth time to harvest of safe vegetables is 5 days slower than vegetables grown in the usual way, but the leaves are thick, have high yield and can be kept for 2-3 days without spoiling.

Mr. Tran Van Vien's family in Thanh Tam hamlet has been involved in vegetable growing for more than 30 years. With 5 sao of safe vegetables grown in a greenhouse, he harvests 150-200 kg of vegetables every day, bringing in an income of about 1.7 million VND/day for his family.

According to Mr. Vien, growing vegetables is not difficult, but requires diligence. Growing vegetables safely requires a careful process. In particular, the planting and care process absolutely does not spray pesticides, does not use chemical fertilizers, but only uses biological fertilizers.

Growing clean and safe vegetables is one of the agricultural economic development goals that people in the border district of Bu Dop are implementing and expanding to increase income and stabilize their lives. Bu Dop currently has 830 hectares of various vegetables, accounting for nearly 20% of the annual crop area; with an average yield of about 80 tons/ha/year of vegetables, fruits and 200 tons/ha/year of leafy vegetables.

Master Do Huu Duc, technical officer of Bu Dop District Agricultural Service Center, said that in order to help vegetable farmers change their awareness and old farming practices, grasp the new production process in the direction of safe organic farming, in 2021, the Department of Science and Technology of Binh Phuoc province selected Bu Dop District Agricultural Service Center to implement the project "Building a specialized area for growing vegetables in the direction of safe organic farming" in the district.

Immediately after being selected, project members built 3 models, each measuring 3,000m2. At the same time, they trained 120 farmers in the district on organic vegetable farming processes.

Master Do Huu Duc, technical officer of Bu Dop District Agricultural Service Center: After more than 2 years of implementing the project "Building a specialized area for growing vegetables in the direction of safe organic", it has brought high efficiency, especially in preventing pests and diseases, contributing to promoting the formation of a specialized area for growing vegetables in the direction of safe organic.

This helps increase vegetable productivity and ensure public health. Specifically, economic efficiency increased by 42.4%, with each household earning an average of nearly 757 million VND/ha/year, a profit 3-4 times higher than traditional vegetable growing.

In order to improve productivity, product quality and reduce labor, most vegetable growers in the province actively apply scientific and technological advances in production.

However, the biggest difficulty is planning concentrated production areas due to the small-scale nature of vegetable farming by farmers, which cannot ensure a stable supply volume for businesses to be able to call on businesses to cooperate in investing in creating a chain of links and product consumption...

To continue developing concentrated, large-scale, high-tech vegetable production areas, all levels, sectors and localities need to support farmers in accessing science and technology, improving management skills to gradually change their thinking and production methods. At the same time, focus on training high-quality human resources, building a team of technical staff with the capacity to receive and operate technology.