High tech agriculture

New Zealand’s Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor prepares a kiwi cheesecake at the Fonterra innovation and test kitchen in HCM City. — VNS Photo Thu Hằng Viet Nam News HCM CITY — HCM City’s Party Committee Secretary Nguyễn Thiện Nhân on Tuesday met with Damien O’Connor, New Zealand’s Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, to discuss the development of bilateral relations in trade, investment, education and high-tech agriculture. HCM City is shifting to urban farming with a priority in high-tech agriculture, according to Nhân. He said that HCM City and New Zealand had opportunities to improve co-operation and share experiences as well as technology transfer to develop clean agriculture, and improve productivity and the value of products. Nhân said that he hoped New Zealand would create favorable conditions for Vietnamese products to access the New Zealand market. O’Connor said that Việt Nam, particularly HCM City, has huge … [Read more...] about HCM City seeks high-tech agriculture cooperation with New Zealand

Localities need to set up plans for hi-tech agricultural areas in accordance with regional growing and climate conditions.– Photo baodansinh.vn ĐÀ NẴNG – Localities need to set up plans for hi-tech agricultural areas in accordance with regional growing and climate conditions. This is the solution that delegates emphasised at an agriculture forum with the theme "High-tech application in agricultural production adaptation to climate change in the south central coastal areas". The forum was held on Friday in the central city of Đà Nẵng by the National Centre for Agricultural Extension and the Đà Nẵng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Knots removal Hồ Huy Cường, director of the Agricultural Science Institute for Southern Coastal Central Việt Nam, said that the area had ​​4.42 million hectares of natural land, of which agricultural land accounts for 18.7 per cent. The region has two distinct rainy and dry seasons and rainfall varies from 500 to 2500mm annually. … [Read more...] about Experts find solutions for high-tech agriculture

Cần Thơ City has launched a programme to improve high-tech farming models in semi-urban areas. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm Viet Nam News CẦN THƠ — Cần Thơ has launched a project to improve the efficiency of advanced farming models in semi-urban areas. Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, director of the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the advanced techniques include organic farming that does not require large areas of land and is environment-friendly. Such models help increase the green space in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city and have potential for tourism development, he said. The programme would be implemented mostly in Ninh Kiều and Cái Răng districts, developing nine advanced models. The city plans to establish at least one new high-tech agricultural co-operative in every commune and ward that takes part in it. The co-operatives will receive assistance in achieving global or Vietnamese good agricultural practices (GAP) standards and introducing their … [Read more...] about Cần Thơ eyes development of high-tech farming in semi-urban areas

An organic red-flesh dragon fruit orchard in Long An Province’s Chau Thanh District. The fruit is a popular variety grown in the districts Chau Thanh, Tan Tru and Thu Thua and Tan An City in Long An Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Bui Giang Digital transformation in agriculture increases production efficiency and offers consumers greater transparency about food products. However, progress remains sluggish in Viet Nam, and more research is needed. Bo Xuan Hiep reports. Farmer Le Van Chin from the southern province of Long An recently livestreamed an advert about his cooperative’s red-flesh dragon fruit on his Facebook page. “Hi everyone! Here is the dragon fruit garden of Que My Thanh Cooperative. After 25 days of harvest, it has a thin peel and red flesh. Rest assured we never use any harmful chemicals to spray the fruit. We guarantee that it is healthy and tasty,” he told viewers. “I livestream various stages such as farming, harvesting and packaging to create consumer confidence … [Read more...] about Farmers embrace livestreams, high-tech advances in push for better quality, productivity

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc at a working session with the authorities of the Central Highlands’ Đắk Lắk Province on December 8. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News ĐẮK LẮK — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc advised the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk to focus on developing green and high-tech agriculture while meeting with leaders in the locality on Saturday. He requested the province to bring into full play its strengths, particularly the production and export of coffee. According to him, Việt Nam’s position as the world’s second largest coffee exporter gives the country and Đắk Lắk the power to hold and regulate the supply to a market of nearly 2 billion coffee users each day. He asked the locality to step up development in combination with ensuring defence security and pay more attention to afforestation and wood processing. Underlining the important role of enterprises in the province’s growth, the Government leader urged Đắk Lắk to improve its business and … [Read more...] about Đắk Lắk advised to develop green, hi-tech agriculture

A custard apple orchard belonging to a member of the Tân Thành Hi-tech Agricultural Co-operative in Thủ Thừa District, Long An Province. — VNS Photo Xuân Hương Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The Tân Thành Hi-tech Agricultural Co-operative in Long An Province’s Thủ Thừa District has said it will continue to expand cultivation of custard apple, dragon fruit and Cara Cara orange. Nguyễn Văn Tâm, its director, said: “Many businesses want to buy dragon fruit and custard apple produced to VietGap and Global standards and meet hygiene and food safety requirements. “But with farmers not following safety standards, their products sometimes did not meet market needs. Therefore, we established the co-operative to produce safe products for the domestic and export markets through the application of good agricultural practices and technology-based methods.” Established in Long An Province on April 6 the co-operative has 11 members, a chartered capital of VNĐ9 billion (US$3.9 … [Read more...] about Fruit expansion plan continues

A farmer harvests orchids in Tan Thong Hoi Commune, Cu Chi District in HCM City. Farmers in the city are meeting obstacles in acquiring lands for their work.-VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Du. Nguyen Van Vinh, of Hoc Mon District, for example, is renting 1.7ha of land to grow 200,000 pots of orchids, which earns him VND1 billion (US$44,200) per year. However, over the last 20 years, Vinh has not been able to stay in one place. His current garden is the sixth place he has rented to grow orchids. He first rented land in 1993 when District 12 was part of Hoc Mon District. After 1997, when District 12 was established, the fast pace of urbanisation resulted in many landlords deciding to take back, divide their land and sell each small piece to different buyers to earn more money. “I eventually had to move to Hoc Mon District," Vinh said, adding that he wants to buy more land nearby. But at this time, no one wants to sell agricultural land in the district, he said, and land prices are rapidly … [Read more...] about City tackles shortage of agricultural land, considers new policies

A “safe” vegetable farming model in Cần Thơ City. – VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh Viet Nam News HCM CITY – The Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ targets an agriculture growth rate of 3.5 per cent each year in the 2018-20 period and 2.5 per cent in the 2021-30 period. Under the city’s agricultural restructuring plan, the city targets increasing per capita income in rural areas by two times against 2015. It also estimates that agricultural labourers will account for 30-35 per cent of the city’s labourers in the 2018-20 period. Speaking at a seminar held on Wednesday, Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, director of the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the plan would improve the quality and competition of the city’s agricultural products in the delta and the country. The plan will develop key agricultural products and concentrated agricultural production areas with high technologies, he said, adding that it will also develop value chains from production to sales, he said. The … [Read more...] about Cần Thơ targets agricultural growth of 3.2 per cent per year

Farmers harvest summer-autumn rice crops in Trà Vinh Province’s Châu Thành District. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hoà Viet Nam News TRÀ VINH — Trà Vinh Province plans to use advanced technology in agriculture and increase production of specialty products , Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Ngô Chí Cường, has said. Cường said the goals would ensure a competitive wholesale market and higher income for local farmers , contributing to the provincial restructuring of the agricultural economics programme. T he provincial Party Committee’s directive calls for the application of microbial organic and bio- technologies in the province’s agricultural production by 2025 , with orientation to 2030. High-tech agricultural areas of more than 300ha will be developed by 2025, as well as 1,000ha of organic rice farming areas that meet international standards . … [Read more...] about Trà Vinh to develop “clean” agricultural production

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung receives  visiting Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair Shamir in Ha Noi yesterday.— VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam HA NOI (VNS) — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has suggested that Viet Nam and Israel discuss a possible bilateral free trade agreement to accelerate two-way trade in the future. Meeting visiting Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair Shamir in Ha Noi yesterday, Dung urged the prompt formation of a joint committee to boost co-operation between the two countries. He voiced his hope that Israel would continue its ODA provision for Viet Nam, focusing on human resources, infrastructure development and climate change. He said the two sides should further strengthen co-operation on the application of high technology in agriculture and telecommunications. The PM pledged that the Vietnamese Government would create all possible conditions for Israeli businesses to invest in Viet Nam. … [Read more...] about Prime Minister receives Israeli agriculture minister