Applying high technology in agricultural production

After the Government approved the High-tech Agricultural Development Program, Hoa Binh province issued the master plan for high-tech agricultural production areas. Concentrated agricultural production areas have been reviewed, and specifically evaluated by the authorities of districts and cities in the province, to reach an agreement on the implementation plans.

In the period of 2020 - 2023, the application of high technology in Hoa Binh’s agriculture has achieved specific results, including: launching the pest and disease management software on crops at https://quanlysaubenhhoabinh.com/public/index and the soil and adaptive analysis of agricultural production land in Hoa Binh province at https://datnongnghiep.hoabinh.gov.vn/public/bando.

Promoting digital transformation in the field of farming, improving production efficiency and product traceability, the local agricultural sector is focusing on the issuance and management of planting area codes on the national planting area code information system and database. To date, the province has issued and managed 30 planting area codes.

Hoa Binh has also applied high technology, biotechnology, and automatic technology in production; use of genetically modified corn varieties such as NK4300 Bt/Gt, DK6919S, DK9955S, NK7328 Bt/Gt... to increase productivity and limit the use of herbicides and pesticides in key corn growing areas with the scale of about 5,000 hectares.

The province has used tissue culture technology to create disease-free citrus trees and propagate them in 3-level net houses to prevent dangerous pests, to produce seeds to serve the project on citrus tree development.

Most businesses and production facilities in Hoa Binh has applied information technology in management, for example installing camera systems with internet connection to monitor the production process, promoting products on the Internet, participating in the product traceability system.

Currently, the province has about 80 enterprises, cooperatives, and production and business establishments producing and trading agricultural - forestry - fishery products with a total of 265 products labeled with traceability stamps and promoted on the traceability system for anti-counterfeit origin and supply and demand connection of Hoa Binh province (hb.check.net.vn.) which helps their access to the market become increasingly easy, products to be sold conveniently, quickly, in larger quantities than traditional ways.

Hoa Binh province has also implemented research and application of biotechnology in creating plant and animal varieties with high productivity, high quality and high economic efficiency, producing protective products, and caring for plants and livestock. As a result, Hoa Binh has had many new species of rice, corn, and citrus trees such as red grapefruit, green-skinned grapefruit, orange, tangerine, guava, black canarium, ODL1 guava, purple sugarcane... with high and stable productivity and quality, highly adapted to local ecological conditions and seasonal structure. 

The province has piloted planting of a number of medicinal plants, replacing purple sugarcane varieties with new ones; preserving some local plant varieties like Hoa Binh purple sugarcane, Thung Khe corn, doi tree, Nam Son tangerine, black sticky rice and Hoa Binh purple garlic.

Hoa Binh has cultivated a number of new livestock breeds such as sturgeon and trout in Hoa Binh Lake; researched on techniques for producing bong fish and black carp varieties, lean pig breeds of Yorkshiree, Landrad, and Duroc, super egg and super meat chicken and duck breeds, Bach Thao goats; and developing farming models of the province's specialty livestock such as Lac Son hill chickens, Lac Thuy chickens, and Ben ducks.

The province has promoted the use of plant protection drugs of herbal origin and biofertilizers in production and use of biological products to process agricultural by-products such as straw, grass, corn stalks, peanut stalks... into microbial organic fertilizer, contributing to reducing environmental pollution and reducing investment costs; using integrated pest control solutions in order to reduce pesticide residues and environmental pollution.

The development of high-tech agriculture has made an important contribution to the formation of concentrated production areas, promoting the process of restructuring the province's agricultural sector in the direction of increasing added value, reducing labor and investment costs, increasing productivity and product quality; gradually improving product value per unit area, transforming production practices towards a clean agriculture, protecting the environment, and improving the health of producers and consumers.

Citrus – Hoa Binh’s key product

Developing citrus trees in the direction of using high technology and biosafety is a sustainable solution for Hoa Binh province.

The province has formed concentrated citrus production areas. Many products have been granted intellectual property certificates, thereby contributing to improving product value such as Cao Phong orange, Tan Lac red grapefruit and Dien grapefruit.

According to statistics, revenue from citrus trees in Hoa Binh is among the highest in the country, reaching 300 - 450 million VND/hectare/year. 

The area of citrus fruit trees in Hoa Binh province is about 10,500 hectares (accounting for 5% of the country's total area), of which the concentrated orange and grapefruit area reaches 9,053 hectares, including 7,429 hectares in the business phase, with a total output of about 167,000 tons in 2022. In particular, the area of Dien grapefruit is nearly 2,300 hectares, accounting for 45% of the grapefruit area and 22% of the total citrus fruit area of the whole province. More than 800 hectares of Dien grapefruit is in Yen Thuy district alone.

Many citrus products of Hoa Binh have been granted intellectual property certificates, including geographical indications for Cao Phong district's orange; 6 collective brands, certification brands for citrus products of Tan Lac, Yen Thuy, Lac Thuy, and Kim Boi districts. As many as 16 fresh fruit products and processed products are certified as OCOP 3- and 4-star products.

To date, Hoa Binh has 38 certified grapefruit growing facilities and will be certified with VietGAP, GlobalGAP and organic standards in 2023, with a total area of 731.14 hectares, including: 30 VietGAP certified facilities; 7 GlobalGAP certified facilities; and 01 organic certified facility.

In the coming time, Hoa Binh province will focus on raising local people's awareness in the use of organic fertilizers and biological products to minimize dependence on chemical fertilizers, meeting regulations on plant quarantine, all mandatory technical requirements for exports.

At the same time, the province will build a center for research, investment, and promotion of high-tech agricultural development, to advise and propose synchronous mechanisms and policies to promote the development of high-tech agriculture;

To review and plan the concentrated development of agricultural production areas applying high technology, associated with processing and supply of output products, focusing on selected fields and products with special characteristic, potential, high economic value and high demand in the market;

To strengthen support people and businesses in building models and areas for hi-tech agricultural development, in access to capital, consulting on solutions to promote the application of science, technology, and digital transformation; 

To promote cooperation and attract foreign investment to take advantage of resources and advanced science and technology in the world to serve the development of high-industrial agriculture in the province.

Quynh Nga