Hanoi (VNA) – Moving towards modern agriculture and managing production in a digital environment have become key priorities for the agricultural sector of the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap in recent years.
The province’s farmers are gradually embracing advances in science and technology and digital transformation, providing an important impetus for the agricultural sector to shift toward modern production in line with Politburo Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated June 16, 2022.
Alongside implementing Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW, the Dong Thap agricultural sector has also incorporated the orientations of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on developing science and technology and promoting national digital transformation into agricultural production management.
According to Le Ha Luan, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, improvements include the development of a digital agricultural data platform, smart irrigation systems and drones, and the mechanisation and automation of production and livestock farming. These applications help increase productivity, improve transparency, and enhance the value of agricultural supply chains.
The digitalisation of growing areas and production zones to support traceability is also being accelerated, particularly for key fruit and aquatic products.
As of June, Dong Thap had 314 agricultural cooperatives and more than 120 community clubs, with over 79,000 of their 95,000 members and workers, or 85%, possessing basic knowledge of digital technology, digital skills and the ability to use smart devices to support production and business activities.
To achieve this, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment has worked with relevant agencies to provide training to nearly 300 cooperatives, or more than 70% of the province’s total, on applying information technology to production. This includes traceability, establishing growing-area codes, accessing supply-and-demand information, and obtaining agricultural production and environmental data via the Internet.
To date, 229 cooperatives in the province have been granted growing-area codes for domestic and export markets. Of these, 208 cooperatives have 887 coded growing areas covering nearly 173,000ha, while 21 community clubs have 46 growing areas covering more than 1,300ha.
Information technology has been used in managing growing-area and packing-facility codes in around 60% of cases, enabling the monitoring and control of pests, ensuring food safety, facilitating traceability, and promoting sustainable development.
(Photo: VNA)
For Nguyen Van Phung, a farmer in Tan Thuan Binh commune, the transition to modern farming remains a work in progress. His family cultivates 2,000 sq.m of organic green pomelo. The orchard is managed manually, with Phung relying mainly on memory to keep track of fertilising, applying microbial preparations, and watering, rather than using a written log or electronic diary.
To keep the orchard healthy, Phung regularly clears the garden himself and uses water hyacinth to cover the bases of the trees during the dry season, helping reduce water loss. The pomelo orchard is also irrigated and drained using a pump, as an automated irrigation system has yet to be installed. He said such a system would provide water and maintain surface soil moisture, while the pomelo trees and their roots require a separate level of moisture.
Vo Van Muoi, Chairman of the Tan Thuan Binh commune Farmers’ Association, said the association has organised numerous programmes to help local farmers access science and technology, obtain information on agricultural markets, learn about modern production methods, use e-commerce platforms to market their products and adopt technologies for production management.
However, many farmers have been unable to attend training sessions or receive information in a timely manner due to family commitments. Alongside providing information, the commune Farmers’ Association has also supported producers by connecting them with the Cho Gao Bank for Social Policies to help them access unsecured loans. More than 1,000 households have benefited from loans totalling 54 billion VND.
Although agricultural producers in Dong Thap, particularly fruit growers, have yet to fully embrace technology and digital transformation in production management, their eagerness to learn and adapt is driving them to keep pace with the times.
For these farmers, the journey towards digital and modern agriculture is not only about adopting new technologies but also about developing the skills and mindset needed to become more professional and modern farmers, contributing to the province’s integration into the broader rhythm of global agricultural development./.
