Awaken the fallow fields
Having been attached to the fields since he was a child, Mr. Tran Xuan Ai in Tieu Lam village, Ngu Hung commune could not sit still when more and more fallow fields appeared. In 2013, he rented 7.2 hectares of fields from villagers to grow rice. After nearly a month of renovating the canal banks and ditches, large-scale fields were gradually formed. In the first crop, he planted the entire area with Q5 rice variety because it had high yield and few pests. The market was favorable, so Mr. Ai won big that year.
In the following years, whenever someone abandoned their fields, Mr. Ai would come and rent them back. He moved the fields scattered everywhere into larger areas, ready to be zoned for concentrated production. "There was a time when my family had nearly 50 hectares of fields in Tieu Lam and La Ngoai villages. In recent years, rice prices have increased, so many people have asked to take back their fields for cultivation. By 2024, I will have about 36 hectares left. Every year I grow 2 rice crops and 1 color crop, all using mechanization," said Mr. Ai.
Ngo Quyen Commune is considered the "capital" of "landlords" because this locality has about 60 households accumulating land with an area of 2-20 hectares. Also because people cling to the land, for many years in the commune there has been no more abandoned fields. Instead, there are large model fields with concentrated production areas, bringing high economic efficiency.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Director of Ngo Quyen Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, from 2018 to now, many large-scale land accumulation models have appeared in the commune. These are all abandoned fields or fields that were difficult to cultivate in the past. When having a large land fund, people have invested hundreds of millions of VND to buy machinery and flying equipment to serve production. Currently, in the commune, there are about 20 households with transplanters, harvesters, flying equipment, drying ovens, etc.
"My family currently has 21.5 hectares of rice fields in Ngo Quyen and Pham Kha communes, of which 11 hectares were reclaimed from abandoned areas. Over the past years, I have invested about 5 billion VND to purchase machinery for agricultural production. Thanks to that, the formerly fallow fields have now become fertile fields, bringing in hundreds of millions of VND in income each year," said Mr. Thang.
Thanks to land accumulation, Thanh Mien district has almost no more abandoned fields, with only a few areas that are difficult to cultivate due to proximity to traffic projects, residential areas, and industrial clusters. "In 2024, the whole district will have about 10 hectares of abandoned fields, a decrease of 160 hectares compared to 2020. The formation of large model fields has facilitated households to apply mechanization in agricultural production, helping to save costs and improve economic efficiency," said Ms. Pham Thi Nhung, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Mien district.
High economic efficiency
In 2022, Mr. Pham Van Toi in Duc Chinh commune (Cam Giang) went to Hong Phong commune (Thanh Mien) to rent land to grow carrots. He rented more than 20 hectares of fallow fields and converted them into the largest carrot growing area in Thanh Mien district. In the winter crop of 2023, Mr. Toi's family's carrot field harvested over 37 tons/ha, equivalent to the same period last year. With a selling price of 3,500 - 4,000 VND/kg, Mr. Toi earned a profit of about 300 million VND. "This year, the weather is not favorable and the selling price is low, so the profit is not worth much. However, compared to traditional rice cultivation, carrots still bring 1-2 times higher economic efficiency," said Mr. Toi.
In 2023, the continuous peak in rice prices has helped households accumulating land in Thanh Mien to prosper visibly. With 36 hectares of rice and 18 hectares of vegetables, Mr. Ai's family "pockets" no less than 500 million VND each year. Currently, his production facility also creates stable jobs for about 20 local workers. To save costs and improve product quality, Mr. Ai has invested nearly 10 billion VND to purchase machinery and equipment. Currently, all of his family's planting areas have been synchronously mechanized.
In addition to farming, Thanh Mien district currently has 26 livestock farms and 5 concentrated aquaculture areas with large areas. Some farms have revenue of over 10 billion VND/year. Typical examples are the livestock farms of households: Nguyen Duc Hung (Thanh Tung commune), Nguyen Van Dong (Doan Ket commune), Nguyen Van Liem, Vuong Trong Trieu (Tu Cuong commune); aquaculture farm of Mr. Pham Van Quat (Cao Thang commune)...
"In the past, the district has always created favorable conditions for households who want to accumulate land and develop the economy. In addition to the province's support, Thanh Mien also has its own policies for these households such as seed support, technology transfer...", Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Mien district Pham Thi Nhung added.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Mien district, the district currently has 93 land accumulation models with a total area of over 790 hectares, an increase of more than 100 hectares compared to the beginning of 2023. Thanh Mien is also the locality with the largest land accumulation models in the province. Compared to small-scale production, concentrated production brings 2-3 times higher economic value.
DO QUYETSource
Comment (0)