Smart Farm: A New Direction in Vietnam - Korea Cooperation

Ms. Song Miryung - Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development of the Republic of Korea (MAFRA) - learned about the high-tech application model in cultivation at the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences on March 23. Photo: Quynh Chi.

From March 21-23, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development of the Republic of Korea (MAFRA), Ms. Song Miryung, led a working delegation to Vietnam. Accompanying her were leaders of the MAFRA International Cooperation Department and the Agricultural Counselor of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam.

At the bilateral meeting on March 21, leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and MAFRA agreed that smart farms are a potential area of ​​cooperation. Minister Do Duc Duy commented that this model is not only suitable for Korea but also suitable for the ecological and agricultural conditions of Vietnam.

From the Korean side, Minister MAFRA informed that many smart farm businesses in Korea are very interested in expanding investment in Vietnam.

After working with Minister Do Duc Duy, Ms. Song Miryung directly surveyed the production situation at Duc Chinh Agricultural Service Cooperative (Duc Chinh commune, Cam Giang district, Hai Duong province), noting the trend of applying high technology in cultivation.

From Hai Duong fields to Korean dining table

When asked about future development orientation, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuat - Director of Duc Chinh Cooperative confided that the Cooperative will focus on post-harvest preservation and processing.

With a clear, powerful and confident voice, Mr. Thuat affirmed: "By further enhancing the value for export to the Korean market, we want to contribute to strengthening the relationship between the two countries."

The success of Duc Chinh Cooperative in exporting carrots to Korea is a “phenomenon” in Hai Duong. Of the total of more than 1,500 hectares of carrots in the province, Duc Chinh commune alone accounts for 25% of the cultivated area, equivalent to 360 hectares. The application of technology in production, processing and preservation has helped the “Duc Chinh carrot” brand become a trusted choice for many agricultural export enterprises.

Duc Chinh carrots are processed and preserved in a factory built and improved by MAFRA. Photo: Quynh Chi.

In 2021, Duc Chinh Cooperative was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment as a direct beneficiary of the project "Support for agricultural product processing and preservation facilities in Vietnam" funded by the Korean Government through MAFRA. Accordingly, the project supported the Cooperative to build a factory with a scale of nearly 1,000m2, equipped with an automatic washing line, a sorting machine with a capacity of 25 tons/day and a low-temperature storage warehouse of 48m2.

Sharing about Minister Song Miryung's visit, Mr. Thuat expressed his joy when Duc Chinh Cooperative welcomed the Korean delegation to harvest carrots, visit the processing factory and hold talks with the people.

Mr. Thuat said that the Korean-supported processing workshop currently maintains jobs for about 50 workers every day. By ensuring the processing stage for export, Duc Chinh farmers no longer have to worry about “good harvest, low price”, and also increase their income by 15-20%.

In particular, from the technology platform supported by Korea, the cooperative has proactively improved and upgraded equipment, maintained regular maintenance, helping the production line operate stably.

Every year, Hai Duong province grows about 1,500 hectares of carrots, with an output of about 80,000-100,000 tons, worth about 800 billion VND/year, and exports to Korea about 40% of the output.

Working with Minister Song Miryung in Duc Chinh commune, Mr. Tran Van Quan - Vice Chairman of Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee emphasized that Korea has always been identified by the locality as the most important market, deciding the success of carrot production and export of the province. Mr. Quan thanked MAFRA for resolving and removing many obstacles, helping Vietnamese carrot products continue to be exported to Korea.

Minister Song Miryung went to the fields with people in Duc Chinh, Hai Duong to harvest carrots. Photo: Quynh Chi.

Sharing with Agriculture and Environment Newspaper after visiting Duc Chinh Cooperative, Minister of MAFRA expressed his impression with the achievements that farmers here have achieved through resources from the Korean Government.

What touched Ms. Song the most was the proactive spirit of Duc Chinh Cooperative. “I am very grateful to know that, in addition to receiving support in terms of equipment, the director and staff of the Cooperative also voluntarily invested in additional necessary items,” said the Minister.

Always with agricultural scientists

On the last day of the visit, Minister Song Miryung worked with leaders of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) on future cooperation directions.

During the development process, VAAS has received much support from the Korean Government through organizations such as the Korean Rural Development Community (KRC), the Korean Center for International Agriculture (KOPIA), the Korean Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency (KOAT)...

Since 2019, VAAS has implemented 45 projects and sub-projects with the support of Korea, with a total budget of nearly 20 million USD. These projects are all carried out under the coordination of experts from both countries.

“Minister Song Miryung witnessed the joy of Hai Duong farmers during the carrot harvest season, but she will see this joy in many other localities. Contributions from Korea have spread to many economically disadvantaged areas across Vietnam, contributing to the construction of new rural areas - an important national strategy of Vietnam” - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Son - Director of VAAS, expressed.

In the coming time, the Institute hopes to promote strategic cooperation between MAFRA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in developing agricultural equipment, supplies and smart farms.

The Vietnam - Korea Smart Farm is a place to train and improve the capacity of smart farm management and operation. Photo: Hung Khang.

Typically, the Vietnam - Korea Smart Farm located in the VAAS experimental and demonstration area is a highlight model of agricultural - environmental cooperation between the two countries. All materials, equipment, machinery and tools of the farm were transported from Korea to Vietnam and Korean experts also directly came to install and instruct on operation.

Minister Song Miryung expressed her delight at the initial success of the cooperation. She said that the standard demonstration model will attract more farmers, advanced cooperatives and agricultural enterprises to invest in applying high technology in production.

“Korea and Vietnam have the same starting point in traditional agriculture. Our two countries have built a sustainable cooperative relationship towards the future of innovation and modernization of the agricultural sector. MAFRA will always accompany and be a solid launching pad for cooperation between the Vietnamese and Korean scientific communities,” Ms. Song Miryung pledged.

The head of MAFRA said that in the context of increasing climate change and decreasing human resources, the agricultural sector faces many difficult challenges. Therefore, countries are making efforts to transform towards smart agriculture, applying advanced technology and modern equipment and materials to increase output and productivity.