High technology application - sustainable agricultural development

Farmers in Moc Chau district invest in anti-hail nets in Na Ka plum valley.

High-tech agricultural areas

Notably, nearly 400 hectares of mangoes of Ngoc Lan Cooperative and 612 households of Hat Lot and Chieng Mung communes and Hat Lot town were recognized by the Provincial People's Committee for applying high technology associated with tourism development.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dung, Director of Ngoc Lan Cooperative, was excited: The Cooperative has 52 member households, growing 60 hectares of mangoes that have been granted export growing area codes. The Cooperative and households have invested in and applied automatic water-saving irrigation technology to 65.9% of the area, helping to minimize production costs. The mango area of ​​the Cooperative and households has just been recognized as a high-tech mango area, opening up opportunities for convenient production and consumption, helping people get rich from mango trees.

In Yen Chau district, in early 2025, farmers in Phieng Khoai, Long Phieng, and Chieng Hac communes received good news when three mango, longan, and plum growing areas were recognized as high-tech production areas with a total area of ​​over 1,000 hectares.

Developing high-tech agriculture, Son La province has built and formed many good models and methods in production, increasing product value, such as: Model of plum, early ripening longan, safe off-season vegetables, model of caring for fruit trees, tea, coffee in the direction of VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic; model of growing custard apple, strawberry... for income from several hundred to billion VND/ha/year. Many cooperatives and households have applied advances in science and technology in production, especially measures of pruning, fruit bagging, investing in greenhouses, water-saving irrigation systems, automatic irrigation, creating high-quality fruit products, meeting market requirements...

Typically, Noong Pieu Agricultural Cooperative, Phieng Khoai Commune, is one of the cooperatives with plum acreage recognized as a high-tech agricultural area. Ms. Bui Phuong Thanh, Deputy Director of the Cooperative, shared: The Cooperative has 30.5 hectares, to improve the quality of plums, the Cooperative encourages members to apply scientific and technical advances in production, especially to have quality plums, the production process must prune 30-50% of the output, prune branches, and prune fruit to keep the best fruits at the top of the branches.

Farmers in Phieng Khoai commune, Yen Chau district apply automatic irrigation technology for plum trees.

In addition, Ruby plum production focuses on techniques to control fruit production at the trunk and level 1 branches. As a result, the fruit is larger, has better appearance and quality than the fruit produced at level 4 and level 5 branches. At the same time, a combination of technical measures on pruning, fertilizing, watering, and root banding is used to care for and color the fruit. In 2024, the cooperative will be the first unit in the province to bring 10 tons of plums to the markets of some EU countries: UK, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. With beautiful appearance and high quality, Ruby plums cost 70,000-120,000 VND/kg. In 2024, the cooperative's Ruby plums will achieve the province's 4-star OCOP product.

Son La has recognized 9 high-tech agricultural zones, including: 2 tea and dairy farming zones in Moc Chau district; 2 coffee zones, 1 custard-apple zone, 1 mango zone in Mai Son district and 3 longan, plum and mango zones in Yen Chau district. In 2024, the total output of the province's agriculture, forestry and fishery sector will reach VND 8,687 billion. The income value per hectare of high-tech farming land will increase by 1.5-2 times or more compared to traditional farming. The whole province has 5,596 hectares of crops applying good agricultural production practices VietGAP, GlobalGAP and equivalent.

Building modern, smart agriculture

Implementing the Resolution of the 15th Congress of Son La Provincial Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term on developing high-tech agriculture, clean agriculture, and organic agriculture, Son La province has focused on restructuring agriculture substantially and effectively, exploiting and promoting the potential and advantages of each region.

Mango area of ​​Hat Lot commune, Mai Son district is recognized as a high-tech agricultural area.

Mr. Lu Van Cuong, Chairman of Yen Chau District People's Committee, informed: Implementing the province's policy, the District Party Committee has issued a Project on developing high-tech agriculture until 2025. Mobilizing organizations and individuals to invest in high-tech agricultural programs and projects, organic agriculture. Promoting investment in mechanization, modernization of equipment; comprehensive and synchronous application of techniques to serve the production of the district's key agricultural products in a sustainable manner, without harming the environment.

In 2024, the value of harvested products per unit area of ​​Yen Chau district will reach 60 million VND/ha; about 7,200 hectares of fruit trees will apply high technology, accounting for 60% of the total fruit tree area of ​​the district; over 1,666 hectares of fruit trees will be granted growing area codes and certified for production according to VietGAP standards, accounting for 14.3% of the total fruit tree area in the district; about 90% of the crop area will be produced according to technical processes.

The construction of high-tech agricultural production areas creates a breakthrough, rapidly shifting from traditional agriculture based on the exploitation of limited resources and small-scale production to high-quality, large-scale agriculture based on the application of science and technology. The construction of high-tech agricultural production areas also contributes to job creation, increasing income for people in production areas, and contributing to the construction of new rural areas. More importantly, agricultural products aim at clean criteria and ensure the health and safety of consumers.

Mr. Vu Tien Dinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said: The Department continues to advise the province to synchronously implement solutions to build, manage and use growing area codes; support and guide cooperatives and farmers to develop crops applying good agricultural production processes and equivalent standards; increase the area and products meeting VietGAP, GlobalGAP standards and organic products for domestic consumption and export. Improve the capacity of research, application and transfer of science and technology, especially high technology, biotechnology and environmentally friendly technology.

At the same time, review and adjust production planning towards crops with high economic value, competitive advantages and conditions. Localities promote the construction of concentrated agricultural production areas applying high technology, organic agriculture associated with eco-tourism development; for crops that are not yet available for immediate application, focus on forming a stable production chain with export enterprises and processing factories to receive support from enterprises.

With the achievements, Son La agriculture promises to develop strongly in a modern and sustainable direction, contributing significantly to the work of hunger eradication, poverty reduction and building a new countryside in Son La.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/ung-dung-cong-nghe-cao-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung-TlV8yX0Hg.html