THAI NGUYEN Taking advantage of existing specialized farming areas, Phu Luong district is gradually shifting to sustainable, environmentally friendly organic farming.
Possessing favorable natural conditions and fertile hills, in recent years Phu Luong district (Thai Nguyen) has developed good agriculture with a sense of responsibility towards the environment and consumers.
The locality has developed 28 OCOP products, of which 11 products have achieved 4 stars... Of which, Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative contributed 5 OCOP products. Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative is also known as the cradle of Thai Nguyen organic tea.
Midland tea barn through half a century
As one of the first artisans in Thai Nguyen province to be awarded the title of Tea Processing Artisan, Mr. To Van Khiem, Director of Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative shared: "In order for Khe Coc midland tea farm to exist for the past half century, with the pride of being one of the first places to do organic farming in the country, we have to mobilize people, deploy the smallest things from seeds, fertilizers to care methods".
Mr. To Van Khiem (middle) introduces tea products of Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative to visitors. Photo: Quang Linh.
When starting organic farming, Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative did not rush to immediately pursue international organic standards but gradually met Vietnamese organic standards. According to Mr. Khiem, organic farming cannot be rushed, it must go slowly and steadily because the success of organic farming must be for the health of consumers, producers and the environment.
Initially, the cooperative only developed 20 hectares of organic tea according to Vietnamese standards. This number has been gradually increased each year and is now more than 100 hectares. Gradually increasing the organic cultivation area according to capacity and market demand helps the cooperative to be proactive in output as well as have time to train on cultivation processes and prepare adequate agricultural materials.
Thanks to a specific development plan, Mr. Khiem has researched the process of using chicken eggs to fertilize tea. It is hard to believe, but in fact, the chicken eggs that this old farmer buys are all discarded chicken eggs at a very cheap price, less than 1,000 VND/kg, and each kg has more than 10 eggs.
The eggs are diluted with water and then watered on the tea plants. Each time it is time to harvest, the tea is sorted separately to create special delicious products.
The tea fields of Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative have been invested in an automatic irrigation system. Photo: Quang Linh.
It is also thanks to the "unusual" way of feeding tea with chicken eggs that Khe Coc tea area has received special attention from Thai Nguyen provincial leaders and has created a chance for tea products from that hilly countryside to reach Europe. Up to now, the cooperative has exported tea to many demanding markets such as Poland, the United States, and the Czech Republic.
Specialized, large-scale production associated with organic agriculture
Identified by Thai Nguyen province as a key agricultural production area of the province, Phu Luong district is focusing on restructuring and building an organic, sustainable, high-value agricultural economy through the formation of specialized, large-scale, concentrated production areas.
The total tea area of Phu Luong district is currently over 4,000 hectares, with fresh tea bud output reaching about 47,000 tons, with an economic value of over 1,300 billion VND/year. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huu, Secretary of Phu Luong District Party Committee, said that Phu Luong is orienting agricultural development towards organic and environmentally friendly.
Phu Luong district advocates building large specialized agricultural production areas associated with organic and sustainable production. Photo: Quang Linh.
“We believe that organic agricultural products must be of high quality and create sustainable livelihoods for local people, contributing to protecting the health of producers and consumers, and protecting the local ecological environment. The locality is also committed to accompanying businesses, cooperatives, and farmers in developing organic products through promotional activities, branding, and input material support…”, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huu emphasized.
Besides tea, Phu Luong also has the famous specialty of sticky rice and lychee. This is the source of raw materials to create the famous Bo Dau banh chung village brand nationwide. Products such as wild honey, livestock, and poultry are also focused on development and have initially gained a foothold in the market. In 2024, Phu Luong district strives to have 5-star OCOP products.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/phat-trien-nong-nghiep-huu-co-gan-voi-vung-chuyen-canh-d388466.html
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