Robust urbanization and development of industry, construction and service sectors in Ho Chi Minh City have narrowed the agriculture area and its density in the city’s total economy.
For a time, agriculture production in the city faced numerous hardships that resulted from its own shortcomings and challenges from other sectors.
Realizing the difficult situation they were in, local authorities, farmers and relevant bodies tried to calm down it by carrying out growing such suitable crops and cattle as ornamental plants, fruit trees and organic vegetables and finding outlets for their products.
Among them, growing ornamental plants and orchids and breeding fish are realized specific works of the city’s agriculture.
The orchid is a high economic value plant which has brought around VND100 million to orchid growers each per 1,000 square meter. Many other local farmers reportedly make earning of billions dong from each hectare under bonsai plantation.
In terms of animal breeding, the city has to date expanded its total cow herd to 51,000 heads. Number of households breeding over 10 cows accounts for 28per cent of the city’s total cow raisers. The city’s outside area is also home to more than 30 other cow breeding farms with more than 100 heads each.
The city produces an estimated output of more than 4,000 litres of milk per period. The city now not only provides fresh milk to processing factories but also stud cow to other cities and provinces nation-wide.
Moreover, the city moved most of exhausted paddy land in Nha Be and Can Gio districts into shrimp breeding, attributing to the city’s annual fishery growth rate of 27.3 per cent.
The city also developed breeding other kinds of aquatic products like prawn along banks of Saigon River, Dong Nai River, and Kenh Dong River, ornamental fish in Binh Chanh district, and district 8, crocodile and tortoise in district 2 and district 12.
Development of animal and aquatic breeding, which reached annual increases of 7.3 per cent and 27.3 per cent , respectively are considered the major reasons for the city’s annual agriculture growth rate of 3.6 per cent this year, up 2 per cent compared to its yearly plan.
However, cultivation sector witnessed a decrease of 2.7per cent per year.
In terms of the service sector, the city reported an annual rise of 7.8 per cent. Services in the aquaculture sector report annual increase of 36 per cent while agriculture production 6 per cent , in particular. Agriculture production is estimated to make up for 68.3 per cent the city’s total production, forestry, 1.7 per cent and aquaculture 30 per cent .
Four reasons for success
Firstly, the city replaced ineffective animal and plant breeding with effective ones. The city decided to shift most paddy cultivation areas to other purposes by 2010. Meanwhile, cultivation of vegetable and fruit trees, whose economic values are realised to as many 5-20 times high as paddy, will be developed.
Secondly, the city has found a large outlet for its products: realising that shrimp and animal breeding will not run stably if it does not have a firm outlet, the city has already put Can Gio fish market into operation in order to facilitate local farmers to sell products besides providing them with other assistance to boost up production.
In terms of milk products, the city now is home to two Vietnam’s largest milk producers including Vinamilk and Dutch Lady who help local farmers improve their living standard by breeding cows. However, more than 80 per cent of Vinamilk’s milk input of is brought in from foreign countries. The city, therefore, should strengthen monitoring over milk quality from exploiting and processing processes in order to meet increasing demand on food safe and hygiene.
In breeding shrimp, the city also ensures quality of 8 input factors in a production line, comprising of shrimp post, feed-fertilizer-water, breeder, medicine, production fertility, capital, land and management.
At first, the city had to buy shrimp posts from neighboring provinces. Now, nearly 80 shrimp post producing plants, mostly in Can Gio and Nha Be districts, are now able to meet the home demand. Most of shrimp feed and medicine are now made domestically. The city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Can Gio district’s People’s Committee held hundreds of conferences on shrimp breeding for local farmers, providing them with technical assistance.
Purchasing other fertilities for shrimp breeding like water pumps and water fans is now easier as most of them are available on the domestic market. Local farmers who want to breed shrimp can borrow money from the city’s lending programs or dedicate their paddy area to shrimp.
In terms of management, local shrimp breeders receive more experience from training courses and conferences conducted by the department.
The eight factors the have attributed to the aquaculture sector’s achievements which is now able to meet the increasing demand of home consumers. During 4 years from 2000-2004, the city’s shrimp output increased 16 times from 481 tons to 7,720 tons.
Providing necessary information to local farmers: providing local farmers with all necessary information relating to economic result, production condition and outlet will push them to give up old ineffective plants to the new effective ones. The city, in order to boost consumption, should create close combination between producers and distributors. It also should provide local farmers with financial assistance to shift crops and animals and reduce loss in the first stage of production. The city’s Department has recently set up an Advisory and Farmers Assistance Center that takes responsibility to help the city deal with such related issues.
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