Binh Thuan speeds up agricultural restructuring

Binh Thuan (VNA) – Accelerating agricultural restructuring towards national-scale, high-tech production has become a key goal for the central coastal province of Binh Thuan as it aims to reach an average 3.3-3.8 percent annual growth for its agro-forestry-fishery sector during the 2018-2020 period.

During the three-year period, labour productivity is planned to increase 3.5-4 percent per year, while exports of farm produce and seafood products are expected to reach 195 million USD annually.

Due attention will be given to developing agricultural products which have huge competitive edges such as dragon fruit, rubber, breeding shrimp, and processed seafood.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the quality of local dragon fruit has been significantly improved in recent years. In the end of 2017, more than 9,500ha of dragon fruit were granted VietGAP certificates and thus qualified to enter markets in India, New Zealand, Chile, and Australia.

In the time to come, intensive farming will be applied to the cultivation of dragon fruit, meanwhile large-scale production systems will be formed and value chains will be branched out in the locality.

Besides mobilising resources to enhance off-shore fishing, the province will also invest heavily in requisite logistic services systems, such as preliminary processing, and search and rescue information systems; as well as reduce the number of fishing vessels which run high risk of violating foreign waters and damaging the environment.

Additionally, the province is also looking to form a dense high-tech aquatic breeding zone in Tuy Phong district, and will pay due attention to transferring technology to local farmers so as to improve the productivity and quality of key staples like prawns and white-leg shrimp in coastal areas and Phu Quy island.

It will accelerate the establishment of a 2,000ha hi-tech agricultural zone in Bac Binh district in companion with attracting investors who hold huge technological potential.

During the period, agricultural restructuring will be made in tandem with building new-style rural areas, with 60 percent of communes targeted to become new-style rural areas by 2020.

After five years of carrying out the “Restructuring Agriculture Towards Increasing Added Value and Sustainable Development” project, the province has enjoyed stable agricultural production. It is now home to 212 husbandry facilities and has attracted large-scale raising projects like its grass planting, dairy-cow farming, and milk processing projects in Bac Binh district, as well as a high-tech agricultural project in Tuy Phong district.

Last year, the total output of breeding shrimp were 24 billion, up 37 percent from the amount in 2013.–VNA