Tra Vinh takes on high-tech agriculture

Numerous agricultural economic models that offer high economic value for local people have emerged throughout the province that is part of the Mekong Delta region, contributing positively to the success of its countryside development.

Stronger agricultural links are now taking shape in Tra Vinh

Although Tra Vinh has yet to establish high-tech agricultural zones, the province has developed several concentrated agricultural production areas that apply advanced agricultural technologies. These innovations have bolstered economic value per unit of land, raising incomes for farmers.

Currently, Tra Vinh accommodates more than 29,750 hectares of high-tech agricultural production areas. This includes 9,740ha that leverages semi-automated sprinkler irrigation technology, 13ha employing greenhouse and hydroponic technology, and 8,720ha adhering to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards. Intensive and super-intensive aquaculture covers more than 11,000ha.

Additionally, the area for Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified clam farming reaches 433ha, accounting for 12 per cent of the province’s agricultural production area.

The application of new innovative tech - such as disease-free wax coconut plant tissue culture, nano fertilisers, cloud-based monitoring systems, and automated irrigation - has brought inspiring results.

In the livestock sector, Tra Vinh has successfully applied biotechnology progress to breed large-size livestock, while artificial insemination technology has been used to enhance the quality of cattle and pigs.

Poultry farming has fully adopted biosafety practices, and well over 9,000 biogas digester systems have been built, accounting for around 20 per cent of the total pig farming households. Furthermore, the province has implemented kits to detect the banned substance salbutamol in livestock.

Tra Vinh is currently home to over 1,000 farms raising 640,000 livestock and poultry. Twenty-two livestock facilities participate in high-tech production chains with industry-leading players such as C.P. Vietnam, Emivest, and Greenfeed.

Approximately 11,000ha of brackish water shrimp farming employ intensive farming methods, including 1,100ha using high-density intensive farming.

Tra Bac JSC, based in Tra Vinh city, has successfully promoted high-tech coconut products under Trabaco brand in the international markets, helping complement budget sources, creating jobs for local farmers, and boosting income for coconut growers within and beyond the province. Tra Bac is also a producer of activated charcoal from coconut shells with an annual output of 6,000–7,000 tonnes, exporting to many countries and territories globally.

Tran Truong Giang, director of Tra Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that to enhance the competitiveness of the local agricultural economy, Tra Vinh continues to restructure its crops and livestock in line with local comparative advantages and market demands, particularly targeting high-end markets.

“This has resulted in improved productivity, output, value, and economic efficiency, with some products crafting their brand presence in both domestic and international markets,” Giang said.

The linkage between the state, enterprises, farmers, and scientists has begun to take shape, and initial production chains for agricultural products are being formed. As a result, the production value per hectare of cultivated land has now approximated $6,460 per year, an increase of $800 per hectare compared to 2013, with an average profit of around $2,500 per hectare.

In aquaculture, the production value per hectare comes to nearly $17,100 per year, up $3,200 per hectare, with an average profit of around $4,375 per hectare. The average income per capita in rural areas has now approximated $2,200, up 1.85-fold compared to over a decade ago.

This shift reflects a transition from agricultural production to an agricultural economy, making a contribution to the provincial national target programme on building new-style rural areas.

At an October 4 conference reviewing operational results in the first nine months of the year, Tra Vinh Party Committee noted that the province’s economy continued to grow steadily. Regional GDP is estimated to surge 9.78 per cent, the highest since 2020. Total budget revenue reached $568 million, almost reaching the full-year plan.

The provincial leadership directed local party committees at grassroots level and heads of agencies and units to focus on reviewing and assessing key targets and tasks, proactively taking decisive actions to meet 2024 resolution targets at the highest possible level.

Tra Vinh set to elevate distinct wax coconut brand The first-ever festival to commemorate 100 years of the Tra Vinh wax coconut tree, as well as Vu Lan Thang Hoi Week on August 25-31, ushered in a new chapter to promote the province’s economic, cultural, and tourism value chain.

Tra Vinh province leading an efficient business climate Regional indexes are the metrics helping Tra Vinh optimise governance capacity, accompanying the local business community on the journey to lead the Mekong Delta in economic development.

Tra Vinh efficient in propelling public investment Leveraging diverse measures, Tra Vinh province has seen inspiring results with public investment disbursement in the year to date, and hopes to achieve more than 95 per cent of the government-assigned plan.