Prioritising Investment in Hi -Tech Agriculture

Identifying the development of high - technology agriculture as an indispensable trend and a crucial content of agriculture industrialisation - modernisation, for the last years, Quang Nam province has intensively invested in high - technology agriculture, targeting to improve farmers’ lives.

In the field of cultivation, the province focuses on selecting and creating breeds with short time growth, good quality, especially breeds of rice, corn and peanut, that quickly adapt to global climate change; including mastering the technology of organising F1 cross-breed rice production. Using agricultural mulches, semi - automatic irrigation technology, network and gratings technology in crop production; using biological products, applying processes of intensive farming to limit insects, increase quality and productivity on peanut and pepper have brought high economic benefits for farmers. Moreover, the province also promotes intensive farming using mechanized production, not only reducing input costs but also improving productivity and economic benefits.

As for fields of fishery, breeding, forestry and mushroom growing, Quang Nam province is also actively pushing the application of high technology in production processes, creating a breakthrough to upgrade competitiveness of provincial agricultural products in the integrating period.

Mr Le Muon, Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Agriculture and Rural Development Department said that high - technology agriculture is not only a supporting measure to develop breeds, but also supports production processes for farmers and enterprises. From that, it targets a higher objective of improving economic benefits on each area of planting, breeding and seafood.

With an orientation to 2015 and vision to 2020, Quang Nam province shifts agricultural industry to goods production, relying on food security and raising breeding livestock density from 40 percent to 45 percent of agricultural products. Developing about 12,000 - 15,000 ha of corn, 12,000 ha of peanuts, 1,000 ha of tea, 30,000 ha of rubber trees and 50,000 - 60,000 ha of wood for the processing industry. Forming clean vegetables areas in urban centres like Tam Ky, Hoi An, Nui Thanh and other areas in Dong Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen, Dai Loc, Thang Binh and Phu Ninh, developing floriculture and ornamental plants.

Besides that, the province also promotes the establishment of special agricultural areas around tourist areas, encouraging traditional craft villages (like silk incubation and weaving) with the purpose of maintaining the landscape, developing tourism and diversifying agricultural products to get more commercial ones like flowers, vegetables and fruits.

In order to achieve the targets, the province will soon review and finish its plan to select appropriate area, mobilise investment capital from programmes, projects for building safe producing areas, moving towards to establish the areas of breeding, seafood, specialising plants which have good agricultural practice or better agricultural practice relating to build and develop trademarks. The province will plan 10 high - technology agriculture areas, each with several test areas for applying high technology in producing, processing and consuming products by 2015. Towards 2015, the province will establish from one to two high - technology agriculture zones, applying and developing successfully tested technologies in Quang Nam province. Furthermore, it also continues to research and apply advanced technologies and techniques successfully used in other provinces.

Mr Muon proposed that besides exploiting general mechanisms and preferential policies of the State, the province should establish and publish regulations relating to the management and operation of organisations and enterprises participating in HTA businesses. In addition to meeting conditions of sustainable processing for certifications like VietGAP and GlobalGAP, it needs a clear mechanism and policy to attract enterprises investing in the high - technology agriculture sector, especially investing in land and capital.