Me Linh district (Hanoi City) has actively pursued new rural development goals of “Safe agriculture, smart farmers, peaceful countryside” by learning from organic agricultural models in other provinces and establishing environmentally friendly, safe and sustainable agricultural production areas and chain links in the locality.
Red pomelo has become a key crop that brings high economic value to the people of Dong Cao Hamlet in Me Linh District, Hanoi
One example is Khanh Phong Cooperative in Tien Thinh commune, Me Linh district, which grows a variety of fruit trees such as guava, apple, grapefruit and papaya. Taiwanese guava is its main product, cultivated on more than five ha of land. The cooperative adopts organic production methods, based on science and technology. It does not use any chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but only composted manure and biological pesticides. This process ensures high productivity and quality of its products. To build its brand reputation, Khanh Phong Cooperative has applied a QR Code-based traceability system and gained consumer trust. Its products are not only sold to traders in Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai and Hai Phong, but also distributed in many organic fruit shops in Hanoi. According to Nguyen The Lam, the director of Khanh Phong Cooperative, its Taiwanese guava and papaya have been certified as 4-star OCOP products by the Hanoi People’s Committee. This has not only increased its fruit sales but also enhanced its product value significantly.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, a farmer in Thuong Le hamlet, Dai Thinh commune, has a passion for organic agriculture. He rented a large area of unproductive rice land from people in Dai Thinh commune and applied a multi-crop farming model. After getting approval from the Me Linh People’s Committee for his crop change plan, he developed a general farm covering nearly 129,000 square meters of land. He used about 4,000 square meters to grow orchids with high technology. He mainly cultivated moth orchids in greenhouses and net houses. He adjusted the temperature in the nurseries to optimize the growth and flowering of the plants. He also installed an automatic irrigation system to reduce the labor required. Each year, the farm supplied about 120,000 orchids of various kinds to the market. His moth orchid business generated an annual revenue of VND7 billion. To turn his farm into a high-tech agricultural production zone with eco-tourism services, he established Tien Tuan Trade and Tourism Co., Ltd. In 2021, his moth orchid or phalaenopsis orchid was certified as a 4-star product in the OCOP Program.
According to Mr. Pham Thanh Do, Head of Me Linh Economic Department, to implement the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, the Me Linh People’s Committee collaborated with the Rural Development Division under the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide training for about 1,000 enterprises, cooperatives and business households in the district on production management and the OCOP Program. The district also supported printing packaging labels and registering trademarks with the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) for 43 OCOP products of nine producers. It also helped to establish six OCOP selling points (by providing signs, boards, shelves for product display). So far, the district has 75 OCOP products certified as 3-star or higher class.
OCOP producers actively participated in displaying, advertising and promoting trade at events held in Hanoi and other provinces in the country. With improved knowledge, farmers managed to apply new technical advances, link production and consumption, adopt advanced science and technology for production, access market information to select and develop high-quality and standard products to increase competitive advantages and meet domestic and export market demands.
Me Linh district aims to increase the number and value of OCOP products and ensure their quality to meet international standards. To achieve this, the district will continue to disseminate information and raise public awareness to encourage more producers and people from all walks of life to participate in the OCOP Program. Along with developing OCOP products, Me Linh will also focus on building showrooms and sales points, and joining trade promotion activities to bring agricultural products and goods into distribution systems. Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Chairman of Me Linh People’s Committee, said: Building new rural areas towards “Safe agriculture, smart farmers, peaceful countryside” has helped people change their production mindset and create organic products to improve their income and living standards. Moreover, people are always conscious of building together peaceful, prosperous rural areas with Vietnamese village identity. This is the core goal that Me Linh is pursuing on its journey of becoming an advanced new rural district.
By Do Ngoc, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi