Dong Thap Muoi develops flood-adapted agriculture

Dong Thap Muoi wetland stretching across the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, Long An and Tien Giang has sustainably developed agriculture in adaptation with flooding.
Dong Thap Muoi develops flood-adapted agriculture ảnh 1Dong Thap Muoi wetland (Source: VNA)
Tien Giang (VNA) – Dong Thap Muoi wetland stretching across the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, Long An and Tien Giang, formerly a solid revolutionary base during the war against French and US invaders, has sustainably developed agriculture in adaptation with flooding. 

The wetland covers a site of over 697,000ha, accounting for 17.7 percent of the region’s total coverage.

Nguyen Van Man, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tan Phuoc district – the only lying in Dong Thap Muoi in Tien Giang province, said since the Dong Thap Muoi reclamation scheme began in the late 1980s, the State has unearthed and dredged nearly 680km of major canals and over 1,100km of interior field canals to drain flood water and improve soil.

Localities placed 135 anti-flooding sacks with a total length of nearly 400km and installed 125 electric drainage stations capable of serving over 100ha each.

Le Thi Yen, head of the Planning Office from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the provincial agriculture sector partnered with agencies concerned to launch a comprehensive support programme for pineapple cultivation, including technological transfer, epidemics and pest control, farming under GAP standards, registration for trademark protection, among others.

The district is so far home to over 16,000ha of pineapple, the largest in the Tien river and Tien Giang in particular, yielding nearly 300,000 tonnes per year.

Farmers in Cai Be district have grown over 2,000ha of citrus, mostly oranges and grapefruits, raising the total area of fruit farming in the locality to more than 16,700ha.

To help farmers cope with disasters, localities encouraged farmers to set up specialised cultivation areas and grow rice and raise fishes in rotation.

The districts of Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thach, Thanh Hoa and Kien Tuong township are considered the largest rice granaries in the Mekong Delta province of Long An with a total output of around 2 million tonnes per year.

The province is embarking on a hi-tech agricultural development project, in which 20,000ha will be built in the above districts with a view to improving food safety, product value and economic competitiveness.

Initially, a model of building 2,900ha of rice using advanced technology will be built, ensuring that extra 17,000ha will be expanded by 2020.

Since 2014, Long An has launched an aquaculture facilitation programme in Dong Thap Muoi’s districts, costing upwards 25 billion VND. There are over 1,700ha of aquaculture in the localities now with a total output of more than 21,000 tonnes.

The above programmes have initially produced positive results, contributing to raising farmers’ income. - VNA
VNA

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