(HBO) – Besides rice and maize fields, Kim Boi district in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh has a large vegetable growing area. The district supplies vegetables for consumers around the year. Thanks to convenient traffic system and favourable natural conditions, concentrated vegetable growing areas have been developed in the communes of Vinh Dong, Ha Bi, Nam Thuong, Vinh Tien, and Tu Son.
Ha Bi agricultural cooperative (Kim Boi district) prepares vegetable seedlings for safe vegetable production.
According to the district’s Division
of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kim Boi now has over
Khuong Minh Trung, head of the agricultural
and forestry encouragement station, said the district has favourable conditions
for vegetable growing, particularly in the communes of Du Sang, Vinh Dong, Ha Bi,
Trung Bi, Kim Boi, Kim Binh and Son Thuy.
However, it is necessary to ensure
safety in producing vegetables in tandem with processing and consumption, in a
bid to enhance the products’ competitiveness, effectively use land and human
resources, and improve incomes for farmers, thus contributing actively to the
local socio-economic development.
According to Trung, the district is developing
high-value and safe vegetable growing areas in line with standards, with
consumption contracts and sustainable production connection.
In 2016, safe vegetable growing areas
were zoned off in 25 out of 27 communes in the district, with a combined area
of
Farmers were provided with techniques
to grow safe vegetables. Cooperatives were encouraged to establish specialised
teams while publicity campaigns were conducted to help farmers grow vegetables
in line with the VietGAP standards, raise legal awareness among safe vegetable
growing households and groups, and promote trade exchanges and seek consumption
markets.
In 2017, billions of VND were
invested in developing safe vegetable growing models, as part of the project to
produce safe vegetables from 2016 – 2020. Accordingly, four hectares have been
zoned off for growing safe vegetables in Ha Bi and Sao Bay communes with the
participation of 70 local households. The Ha Bi and Sao Bay cooperatives
together with local farmers have developed product chains.