Identifying organic agricultural production as an inevitable trend of sustainable, modern and integrated agricultural production, localities in the province, enterprises and cooperatives have focused many resources to develop organic agricultural production.
Lao Cai has many advantages to organize organic agricultural production. These are advantages in terrain, climate, and soil suitable for many different ecological zones, creating many rich genetic resources to develop valuable crops and livestock. Land, water resources, and air in Lao Cai, especially in the highlands, are relatively "clean" because there are no industrial production facilities with waste, wastewater, and emissions causing pollution. Production and farming practices of ethnic minorities rarely use chemical fertilizers and pesticides...
Currently, the organic agricultural production area of Lao Cai has reached 5,368 hectares, attracting 5 investment enterprises to cooperate with nearly 3,000 farming households to participate in organic agricultural production. Some key agricultural products with large concentrated areas have been certified to meet international organic standards such as cinnamon (4,123 hectares in Van Ban, Bac Ha and Bao Yen districts), tea (1,142 hectares in Bac Ha district), bamboo shoots (62 hectares in Van Ban district), seedless persimmons (20 hectares in Van Ban district), mushrooms (1.5 hectares in Sa Pa town) all have stable consumption markets.
Let's look at some specific products to see the effectiveness of organic agricultural production. First of all, the organic tea products in Ban Lien commune (Bac Ha district) of Bac Ha Investment and Development One Member Co., Ltd. according to EU, Canada and US standards are certified by ATC Thailand, with an annual output of more than 1,700 tons of fresh tea buds certified as organic. Income from organic tea products reaches 41 - 43 billion VND/year, the average selling price is 300,000 VND/kg of dry tea, the average price of fresh tea buds purchased from people is 17,000 VND/kg. Currently, Ban Lien commune has about 450 households participating in linking the production of organic tea products with businesses.
Or cinnamon products (cinnamon essential oil and cinnamon spices) are certified organic according to EU and USDA standards by Control Union for 3 companies investing in joint production and consumption of products: Son Ha Spices Company Limited in Bac Ha district (2,248 ha), Vietnam Cinnamon and Star Anise Company Limited (Vinasamex) in Van Ban district (1,255 ha), Viet Bac Company (620 ha) linked production and consumption with about 2,500 households. The output of fresh cinnamon bark purchased is about 5,000 - 5,500 tons/year, the average price is 27,000 - 29,000 VND/kg of fresh cinnamon bark. The main export markets are the United States, Japan, Korea and Europe.
In addition, there are a number of models linking the value chain of organic agricultural products from production, processing to consumption with the participation of enterprises and cooperatives, such as the organic vegetable production model of Hoa Loi Trading Company Limited certified to meet national organic standards TCVN 11041-1:2017 in Y Ty commune (Bat Xat district) with 5 hectares, annually supplying 150 tons of vegetables to the market.
The organic tea production project of Cao Son Tea Joint Stock Company in Ta Thang Commune (Muong Khuong District) has 30 hectares of certified organic products, with an output of 80 tons/year (certification has expired). The above products are only at the scale of the model, not expanded, and not re-certified due to limited funding for implementation.
To achieve this result, on the basis of implementing Decree 109/2018/ND-CP on organic agriculture and Decision 885 dated June 23, 2020 of the Prime Minister on approving the Project on organic agriculture development for the period 2020 - 2030, Lao Cai province has issued a number of policies to develop organic agricultural production.
That is Project 01 dated December 11, 2020 of the Provincial Party Committee on agricultural and forestry development, population arrangement, and new rural construction in Lao Cai province, period 2020 - 2025, setting the goal of striving by the end of 2025 for the area of agricultural land for organic production to reach about 1.5 - 2% of the total area of agricultural land.
Resolution 10 dated August 26, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on the Strategy for developing agricultural commodities in Lao Cai province to 2030, with a vision to 2050, determined that by 2050, tea production according to organic standards will reach 1,000 hectares; more than 50% of cinnamon products will be certified organic and managed on the digital authentication system (QRS), equivalent to 25,000 hectares.
Resolution 26 dated December 4, 2020 and Resolution 33 dated December 8, 2021 of the Provincial People's Council promulgating a number of policies to encourage the development of agricultural production in Lao Cai province stipulates policies to support funding for granting organic certification.
Plan 289 dated July 6, 2021 on organic agriculture development in Lao Cai province for the period 2021 - 2025.
Directive 11 dated July 28, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee on enhancing organic agricultural production of key products in Lao Cai province in the period of 2021 - 2025 has selected 4 key products to focus on developing organic agricultural production, including tea, cinnamon, fruit trees, and vegetables. The goal is that by the end of 2025, the whole province will have 17,730 hectares of organic agricultural production.
Along with issuing mechanisms and policies, the province prioritizes allocating resources for scientific research and technology transfer, projects to support agricultural production according to the chain... to promote the development of organic agricultural production.
Analyzing organic agricultural production in the province in recent times, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that there are many difficulties and challenges when converting to organic agricultural production, such as product productivity will decrease compared to safe farming (due to not using chemical fertilizers, growth stimulants, genetic technology, etc.); higher costs lead to higher product prices; requirements for capacity, qualifications and especially the attitude of producers are also higher; the process of certifying organic products is more complicated. However, organic agricultural production is an inevitable trend for sustainable, safe and humane development, especially in the current climate change situation.
Therefore, to develop sustainable organic agricultural production, effective solutions are needed. First of all, it is necessary to change awareness and thinking about organic agriculture, from the thinking of managers to the attitudes of producers and the needs of consumers. Issue policies to encourage the development of organic agricultural production (if there are good policies, producers will follow them) as well as encourage the consumption of organic agriculture, export of organic products, etc.
It is necessary to have a master plan for organic agricultural production; identify areas with sufficient conditions and favorable conditions for organic production development to build organic agricultural areas, avoid spreading and following trends. Establish, upgrade and perfect production organizations to serve the organic production chain from providing necessary input conditions for production to purchasing, processing and consuming products along the chain; form an organic agricultural ecosystem.
Systematize and specify organic production processes; organize training, technical training, transfer and application of science and technology in organic farming. Evaluate consumer tastes in each market (domestic and foreign, current and potential) to have orientations for developing organic products to meet the needs of the markets.
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