Rice – shrimp farming fields in Bac Lieu province’s Hong Dan district. (Photo: VNA) Theprovincial People’s Committee targets production of 1.17 million tonnes ofpaddy, including 190,240 tonnes of organic paddy, a year by 2025.
Itplans to expand large-scale rice fields to 100,000ha, or about half of theprovince’s total rice area. Farmers participating in large-scale ricefields will have contracts with rice companies that will ensure stableprices.
Italso plans to produce 600,000 tonnes of seafood a year by 2025, with half ofthat being shrimp. About 20,500 tonnes of organic shrimp will be produceda year by 2025.
Ittargets breeding more pigs, buffalo, cows and goats, and 3.5million poultry a year by 2025. The province, which is the delta’s largestsalt producer, plans to produce 55,000 tonnes of salt a year by 2025,including 7,000 tonnes of high quality white salt.
Italso targets having 103 new agricultural products certified under thecountry’s one commune – one product (OCOP) programme by 2025, taking theprovince total’s OCOP products to 171 products.
Thesecond phase of its hi – tech agriculture zone for shrimp breeding isexpected to be completed by 2025.
PhamVan Thieu, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that zoningprojects would be cancelled if they are notfeasible, and land used in ineffective projects or by investorswith insufficient financial capacity would be taken back.
Theprovince will mobilise capital from official development assistance (ODA),foreign direct investment (FDI) and other sources, and develop insurancesystems to reduce risks in agricultural production. It will also encouragestartup investors in agriculture and rural development.
Itwill help farmers to access technology and markets, and transferadvanced techniques to farmers who grow rice and breed aquaticspecies and animals.
Theprovince, which is one of the delta’s largest shrimp producers, breeds shrimpunder intensive, super - intensive, and rice - shrimp farming models,among others.
Therice - shrimp farming model is used mostly in Phuoc Long and Hong Dandistricts and Gia Rai town. It offers farmers a high profit of 40 - 50million VND (1,700 – 2,200 USD) per hectare a crop, according tothe district’s Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Farmershave learned how to create shrimp ponds,manage the breeding environment, and use advanced breedingtechniques.
Theprovince has encouraged rice farmers to use new varieties like ST 24 andST 25. These are two of the best rice varieties in the world and arehighly resistant to saltwater intrusion, alum affection and disease.
Infrastructureinvestment
Toreach its goals, the province plans to speed up investment inmany infrastructure projects, including irrigation and climate-changeadaptation.
LuuHoang Ly, Director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said: “The province will put into use major projectsthat cope with climate change.”
These includenew river embankments in Bac Lieu city, erosion-prevention embankments inestuary and coastal areas in Ganh Hao town and Dong Hai district, anderosion-prevention embankments in Bac Lieu city’s Nha Mat sea.
Asluice system to prevent tides and flooding in Bac Lieu city and nearby areaswill also be built.
Theprovince will also create mud flats and plant mangrove trees toprevent erosion near the Nha Mat sea, and recover protective forestsalong the province’s coast.
Itwill build fishing ports that also serve as storm shelters forfishing boats. Other natural-disaster prevention projects will belaunched, and investment priority will be given to upgrading andbuilding river and sea embankments.
Theprovince will also mobilise investment capital from ODA and public - privatepartnership (PPP) resources to develop logistics infrastructure, especially theBac Lieu - Ha Tien expressway and the Ho Chi Minh Road section.
BacLieu is co-operating with the neighbouring provinces of Soc Trang, HauGiang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau to build transport projects that will promotelinkages in the delta. It is also speeding up the widening andupgrading of many roads in its commune and rural areas./.
VNA
