(HBO) - Growing vegetables under international standards without using pesticides or chemical fertilisers is a sustainable direction for farming households in Luong Son district, generating higher and more stable incomes.
After a decade of development, Luong Son organic
vegetable brand has become popular among consumers in Hoa Binh and Hanoi. With
over 200 ha of land and more than 200 tonnes of fruits and vegetables each year,
Luong Son has boasted the largest organic vegetable farming area in the
province.
Photo: Farmers in Hop Hoa commune, Luong Son
district, grow organic vegetables meeting food hygiene and safety standards.
Phung Thi Lan, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association
and head of the district’s organic production group, said since late 2008, with
the support of the Danish-funded Agricultural Development Denmark Asia (ADDA)
project and the North of Vietnam College of Agriculture and Rural Development
in Xuan Mai district, Hanoi, the district has launched an organic vegetable
farming project in the communes of Hoa Son, Nhuan Trach, Hop Hoa, Thanh Lap, Cu
Yen, Tan Vinh and Luong Son town with an aim of creating more livelihoods for
poor women.
After a decade, it has become an outstanding
model for high-quality vegetable cultivation with little impacts on the
environment. It is significant to the district’s agricultural restructuring
scheme, thus raising incomes for local farmers, establishing a specialised farming
area for production in value chain, and supplying safe farm products to the
market.
In order to produce standard organic fruits and
vegetables, Luong Son farmers must take a three-month technical training course
and be granted certificates of organic vegetable farming. As many as 1,750 farmers
were trained and received such certificates from 2008 to June 2018.
Unlike conventional vegetable growing, land for
organic vegetable farming is zoned off and prevented from external
contamination via tests and buffer zones.
The total area of organic vegetable cultivation
in Luong Son has expanded to over 22ha, nearly 12ha of which meet international
standards. About 16 tonnes of safe and quality organic fruits and vegetables are
supplied to the market each month. Most of Luong Son organic fruits and
vegetables will be sold to shops and supermarkets in Hanoi via VinaGap, Trang
An and Tam Dat companies, bringing 3.4 billion VND in revenue per year./.
Maximizing local potential and advantages, Yen Tri commune in Yen Thuy district is actively promoting the cultivation of medicinal herbs and turning medicinal herbs into One Commune - One Product (OCOP) products.
Situated at the gateway to the Northwest, Hoa Binh province has a population of over 900,000, including about 540,000 of working age. It is home to 6,000 businesses and production facilities, providing employment for over 100,000 workers. The remaining workforce is engaged in informal jobs, works in enterprises outside the province, or contributes to agro-forestry-fisheries. Additionally, around 3,000 workers are employed abroad.
The Hoa Binh provincial People's Committee has issued Decision No. 2767/QD-UBND announcing the rankings of departments, agencies, districts and Hoa Binh city in the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR) and the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS) in 2024.
The cultivation of Dam Xanh fish (Bangana lemassoni), a unique fish species, has seen remarkable growth in Mai Chau district, thanks to its high economic value and effectiveness. Initially concentrated in Van Mai commune, farming has now extended to four other communes, namely Mai Hich, Mai Ha, Chieng Chau, and Son Thuy. These areas benefit from pristine underground water flowing from mountain crevices, providing ideal conditions for raising this specialty fish.
In 2024, the total state budget revenue of Hoa Binh Province is estimated at approximately VND 6,930 billion, achieving 183% of the Government’s target, 126% of the target assigned by the Provincial People's Council, and 145% compared to the same period last year.
In 2024, Hoa Binh province has shown signs of improvement in attracting investment and developing enterprises.
