Fertile land for high-tech agriculture

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has lauded the favourable conditions for agriculture in An Giang (Photo: Ngo Chuan)

Favourable natural conditions have provided the bedrock for the province to accommodate a strong agricultural economy, with rice and freshwater seafood output among the country’s top performers.

In agricultural production, rice is the province’s staple with cultivated area stretching more than 250,000 hectares, producing nearly 3.92 million tonnes of paddy rice output. Of which, sticky rice and quality rice varieties reach over one million tonnes.

With an entangled river and canal system, An Giang is also ideal for seafood development with output surpassing 532,000 tonnes this year alone. Tra and basa fish have become the province’s strategic items, with 412,000 tonnes in annual output.

As the demand for tra fish in the global market keeps jumping steadily, An Giang has tremendous potential for investment and development of tra fish breeding and export processing in the time ahead.

In previous years, efforts have been put into constantly improving the output, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of agriculture which is dubbed as one of spearhead sectors in the province, paired with forming diverse alliance models such between markets, businesses, and local trading households, striving to boost the sector’s value chain.

As a result, An Giang has been known as a dynamic locality succeeding in cultivating new and effective production models, helping to boost product value and bring higher profits to both farmers and businesses.

Committed to turning agriculture into a new growth engine to motivate local economic development, An Giang has been executing a raft of policies to support businesses in agriculture and increase investment promotion that have brought initial encouraging results.

Recently, the province green-lit investment proposals for many large-scale agriculture projects. Some of the most eminent include FAM-An Giang high-tech venture in Thoai Son district by FLC Group, at over 216.6ha and VND208 billion ($9.04 million) in total investment value; a high-tech agriculture project in Tri Ton district from Lu Gia Green Agriculture Ltd., spaced over 500ha and with capital of VND2 trillion ($86.9 million); and a $200 million, 160ha high-tech seafood breed production facility in Tan Chau town by Viet Uc Tra Fish JSC, to name but a few. Significantly, An Giang has approved an investment proposal from TH Group to study development of a large-scale dairy farming and milk processing complex in Tri Ton district. The project will consist of a farm with 100ha scale, a 900ha core material area and 3,000ha of fields under allied contracts with local farmers, with total investment value touching VND6 trillion ($261 million).

To maximise local agricultural potential, An Giang manages to push up high-tech agriculture investment promotion combined with agricultural sector restructuring, increasing exposure of local distinct agricultural products into diverse distribution systems at home and abroad.

Along with that, priority shall be given to growing and processing vegetables and fruits for use in domestic and export market, as well as developing animal husbandry and associated food processing.

Besides central regulated policies, the province will present local specific incentive policies and packages to support investors into agriculture.

Businesses venturing into high-tech and large-scale agricultural models will have priority in land provision. The province will also apply breakthrough policies in science and technology in order to boost labour productivity and competitiveness of agricultural products.