High technology promotes strong agricultural development

It is estimated that science and technology have contributed more than 35% to the success of agricultural production in our country, making Vietnam one of the leading agricultural exporting countries, with many products exceeding the billion USD threshold such as rice, coffee, etc. To achieve these results, many localities have continuously applied high technology to agricultural production, aiming for sustainable development.

In Hanoi, Phu Xuyen, Ung Hoa and Thuong Tin districts are implementing the "machine transplanting, tray seedling making" model, using drones to spray pesticides, fertilize and automatic irrigation systems. Mr. Truong Van Nam, Director of Vien Noi Agricultural Service Cooperative (Ung Hoa district) said that thanks to the application of smart transplanting machines, farmers have significantly reduced labor and costs, while rice productivity has increased significantly.

"The transplanter has a positioning chip, operates automatically without a driver, can transplant 10-20 acres per day, ensuring straight rice density, optimizing production," Mr. Nam shared. Thanks to the policy of supporting 50% of the value of the transplanter from Hanoi city and the support level of 75,000 - 100,000 VND/sao for the applied area, the rate of tray seedling and machine transplanting in many communes has reached 80-90%. To increase the rate of machine transplanting, the cooperative has been flexible in making tray seedling. In addition, the district also organizes training courses on using and repairing transplanters to help farmers master the technology. Not only the machine transplanting model, Ung Hoa district also applies an automatic irrigation system for 20,000 m2 of greenhouses growing melons. This technology helps save water, labor, reduce investment costs and increase crop productivity.

According to the People's Committee of Ung Hoa district, the application of high technology in production not only helps farmers reduce costs and increase profits, but also limits the situation of abandoned fields. Farmers not only reduce hardship but also open up prospects for a modern, sustainable agriculture. However, the application of high technology in agricultural production still faces many difficulties. One of the biggest obstacles is the high investment cost, including the cost of building infrastructure, training human resources and operating the system. Access to capital is still limited, making it impossible for technology to spread to all farming households...

In Van Ho district, Son La province, people are focusing on transforming the structure of crops and livestock, encouraging people to apply high-tech technical advances in production to bring high economic efficiency. Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung, Director of the Van Ho District Agricultural Service Center, said that the district is promoting the application of modern production methods, agricultural production processes, and cooperatives implementing organic production, VietGAP and growing in greenhouses. Currently, the district has more than 20 hectares of sugar oranges and sweet tangerines produced according to organic and VietGAP processes; hundreds of new greenhouses and net houses have been built, along with 100 hectares of drip irrigation and spray irrigation using modern technology.

Despite many successes, the application of high technology in agricultural production in Vietnam still faces many difficulties and challenges. In addition to financial issues, the application of high technology also faces barriers in terms of awareness and technical level. Some farmers are not familiar with how to operate modern equipment, requiring time to adapt and train.

Sharing about this issue, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, a full-time National Assembly delegate working in the Central Government, the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, stated that the application of high technology is inevitable when wanting to improve efficiency, create breakthroughs in productivity and quality of agricultural products, and ensure sustainable agricultural development. However, the application of high technology in agricultural production in our country still faces many "barriers" due to the requirement of large investment capital; lack of prevention tools, lack of testing mechanisms, and risky investments; gaps in the legal system on promoting high-tech development; lack of high-quality human resources; backward awareness and production thinking in some places...

Reality shows that we need to prioritize State budget spending on science and technology. Localities with high-tech agricultural zones also need to ensure that agricultural zones develop according to their functions and tasks, absolutely avoiding distortion of their operating models. In addition, it is necessary to perfect legal policies on high technology, especially having specific and synchronous solutions from the central to local levels in organizing and implementing, then high-tech agriculture will achieve the expected results.

Mr. Pham Duc Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises (Ministry of Science and Technology) said that Vietnam needs to continue reviewing, supplementing and perfecting incentive policy mechanisms such as: Supporting enterprises in technological innovation, applying new technologies and high technologies to agricultural production; needing flexible preferential financial and credit policies... "In particular, the State needs to have policies to support farmers in investing in agriculture and rural areas, so that they can lead the agricultural sector; followed by specific support measures on scientific research and technical solutions. Only then can we form models of farms, agricultural cooperatives... like flying cranes", Mr. Nghiem shared.

Applying high technology in agriculture is the key to improving productivity, quality and sustainability for Vietnamese agriculture. However, to achieve the goal of sustainable development, a more synchronous and stronger policy system is needed, along with the active participation of farmers and businesses. Only then can Vietnamese agriculture develop strongly, create great value and contribute to the overall development of the country.