Kien Giang Looks to High-Quality Agriculture
Kien Giang province has four ecologically different regions, and therefore has suitable conditions for diversified agricultural production. Hilly and with alum soil, the Long Xuyen Quadrangle has been fertilised for forestation, high-yield rice, industrial crops and fruit orchards, and shrimp raising. The western region of the
Maintaining output, raising quality
Land dedicated to agricultural production in Kien Giang province is planned at about 556,000 hectares. With 75 per cent of local people living in rural areas, the province has focused its investment in the agricultural sector.
In 2003, the province maintained food output at 2.5 million tonnes despite a reduction in rice growing areas, after 13,600 hectares of rice lands were converted into shrimp raising ponds. The province maintained its production levels of other crops, such as sugarcane, pineapple and coconut. Some regions have used their natural advantages to move to farming animals and growing plants as part of the province’s economic restructuring. Cattle stocks saw an increase of 10.2 per cent while fish production rose by 22.5 per cent, the area under fruit trees increased by 6.6 per cent and the area under cajeput was expanded by 3,000 hectares. At the same time, areas for shrimp raising increased from 38,000 to 51,000 hectares, bringing total harvest output from 6,700 tonnes to 10,200 tonnes, or an increase of 42 per cent.
The quality of some agricultural and seafood products has been improved. Compared with 2002, the proportion of high quality rice increased from 44.2 per cent to 52 per cent while areas under new sugarcane varieties rose from 16 per cent to 23.7 per cent, accounting for 38.8 per cent of the province’s total production output. The number of lean pigs increased from 45 per cent to 60 per cent. Many new animal and plant species are being farmed. These include sind cows, Cayene pineapple, and many other vegetables and fruit.
Combination with processing industry
Kien Giang province has three major farm produce processing industries, namely rice processing, sugar production and fruit processing. The province now has 600 rice husking establishments with a capacity of about 1.5 million tonnes per year and 35 production lines for rice polishing with a capacity of 550,000 tonnes per year. However, most of these establishments use out-dated technology, so the proportion of processed rice meeting export criteria is still low. Kien Giang has one sugar refinery with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day, plus 38 small production establishments. The total volume of consumed sugarcane has reached 155,400 tonnes. The province’s sugar plant has modern technology but its facilities are incomplete, so the effectiveness of sugar production (68.9 per cent) remains lower than the refinery’s designed capacity (85 per cent). Also, by-products of sugar have yet to be utilised. The province has three production lines for pineapple and fruit processing, including a production line for condensed pineapple with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year, a production line for tinned pineapple production with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes per year and a production line for fruit juice with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes per year. However farm produce processing still accounts for a smaller proportion of processing industries than seafood processing and construction material production.
Comprehensive, high quality agriculture by 2010
From now to 2010, agriculture will remain a major economic sector in Kien Giang province. The province will strive to raise the development of the sector to a new level, turning it into a sustainable commodity-based industry. The province has set a target growth rate of between eight and nine per cent per year. Its economic structure in 2010 has been forecast with agriculture accounting for 64.5 per cent, forestry 0.9 per cent and fisheries 34.6 per cent. Accordingly, the processing industry will play an important role in raising the value of agricultural and fisheries products, such as rice, shrimps, sugarcane, pineapple and raw materials for animal feed production.
By 2010, the province will strive to stabilise its area under its rice crop at 236,500 hectares, with 100,000 hectares dedicated to high quality rice for export. Total output will be maintained at between 2.3 million and 2.5 million tonnes, bringing production value to VND 50 million (about US$3,184) per hectare per year. At the same time, the province will stabilise production of sugarcane at 6,000 hectares, replacing ineffective varieties with new ones. Also, areas for pineapple growing will be expanded to 15,000 hectares with 6,000 hectares under cayene sugarcane. The province will promote the upgrading of gardens, developing fruit of high economic value, such as mango, longan, sweet orange, grapefruit, durian, mangosteen and star apple, bringing the area under long-term crops of high economic value to 50,000 hectares with 15,000 hectares of fruit orchards.
The province will tap the potential of the coastal areas of Hon Dat and Ha Tien by expanding black tiger shrimp raising in these areas, as well as in An Bien and An Minh. Macrobrachium rosenbergii shrimps will be raised in paddy fields in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, the western region of the
At the same time, the province will increase the capacity of its processing industry by renewing technology, reaching between 500,000 and 600,000 tonnes of rice and between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes of frozen shrimps, as well as 20,000 tonnes of pineapple and 20,000 tonnes of sugar. The province will encourage establishments for processing meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables for domestic demand and export. The development of craft villages will also be encouraged to help local farmers earn extra income. In the short-term, the province will form industrial complexes concentrated on commodity-based production areas.
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