Despite the risks and disadvantages it faced, for the past years, Vinh Long agriculture has still maintained its good growth rate, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the provincial GDP.
Given the province’s location in the centre of Mekong Delta with the Tien and Hau Rivers running across and bringing about much alluvium as well as fishery resources, Vinh Long agriculture and aquaculture has seen many development potentials which have been effectively exploited in the past time. There are concentrated agricultural production zones formed in the provinces; some key products have got GAP certificates and the values of crops and aquaculture products per area unit have seen annual increase of 15-20 percent (during period 2008-2012). In particular, in crop production sector, there are concentrated production areas formed to meet requirements for the world’s economic integration. Besides, some products with high competitiveness have been developed such as rice (production in 2012 was 1,079,563 tonnes and annual export turnover reaches US $180-200 million), fruit trees (production of 506,033 tonnes, export turnover of US$2 million), and cash crops (production of 841,287 tonnes, export turnover of US$ 404,700).
In husbandry sector, the province has a total herd of 306,005 pigs, 65,510 cows and poultry flock of 6,002,773 ones. The annual production sees nearly 90,000 tonnes of meat and 345 million eggs, helping to export 13.4 million of salted duck eggs with turnover of US $2 million. Vinh Long is listed as one of the provinces in Mekong Delta with best quality pigs.
Meanwhile, the aquaculture saw 2,504 ha of production area and 738 cages for fish raising in 2012. Total fishery production was 141,041 tonnes, including 111,838 tonnes of catfish. Also in the year, the province exported 20,000 tonnes of frozen seafood (mainly of catfish fillet), gaining turnover of US$40 million. There are 3 seafood processing plants operating and one plant under construction that is going to be put into operation (in Binh Minh town).
However, the most notable success of Vinh Long agriculture in the past year is the irrigation system which has nearly covered all the provincial agriculture area and been considered the best in comparison with others in Mekong Delta. Promotion of technology application and mechanization in production is the foundation for increasing number of crops, changing crop pattern for intensification and improvement in yield as well as quality.
Mr Phan Nhut Ai, Director of Vinh Long Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shared that the agriculture not only guarantees food security but also helps the province gain foreign currency from export. Until 2012, it occupied nearly 50 percent in the province’s GDP.
According to the Master Plan for Socio-Economic Development of Vinh Long province to 2020 approved by Prime Minister, the province aims to beat the targeted growth rate of 5-5.3 percent of agro-forestry-aquaculture production value in 2011 – 2015 and of 4 – 4.5 percent in 2016-2020. The goals are to increase production value per ha of agricultural land of VND152.4 million by 2015 and VND195.5 million by 2020.
Mr Ai said that agriculture sector needs to invest in product processing area and agricultural service. At present, the processing area has just been involved in aquaculture processing of frozen products of catfish material (without further processing), preliminary processing of salted mushroom and duck eggs. The province is calling for construction of plants processing sweet potato and processing and storing fruits and vegetable. The investment in agricultural products further processing will help stabilize material zones in the province and the region, fully exploit the provincial agricultural production potentials (especially cash-crops and fruits) thank to guaranteed consumption and stable price, fully exploit the provincial agricultural production potentials (especially cash-crops and fruits) thank to guaranteed consumption and stable price. In addition, there will be attracted rural labourers into industrial production, creating labour pattern shifting in the rural area and improving farmers’ income by adding values at processing stage and diversifying agricultural products.
Hong Hanh
Vietnamese
