Digital transformation in agriculture: No delay any more!

Convert numbers from Ministry to junior levels

On March 15, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a meeting of the Steering Committee for Digital Transformation in the agricultural sector.

According to a report by the Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Standing unit of the Steering Committee for Digital Transformation in the agricultural sector, at present, there are strong movements in the field of the digital transformation from both the Ministry and the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The members of the Steering Committee have actively advised and directed the implementation of the tasks under the management responsibility of their units. Some units are always pioneers and do well in digital transformation.

Nguyen Quy Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Protection, said that the Plant Protection Department has cooperated with the Military Industry and Telecommunications Group (Viettel) to develop pest identification software with the application of big data and artificial intelligence. In October 2021, the Department and Viettel deployed to test the model in An Giang province on rice.

“Rice has a lot of pests while a pest has many phases and diseases, so it takes a lot of pictures to be able to identify. On that basis, the Department directs the Regional Plant Protection Centers to build an image and data system to connect and identify about 10 most common and harmful organisms in rice in Vietnam. The results will help the Department to give instructions to indentify the characteristics of harmful organisms and measures to prevent those harmful organisms," said Nguyen Quy Duong.

For the field of crop production, according to Nguyen Nhu Cuong, Director of the Department of Crop Production, digital transformation has two key tasks: building a database of the crop sector; building and managing growing area code. In the coming time, the Department of Crop Production will coordinate with businesses to review, complete and supplement the development of software to manage planting area codes.

"There are many problems in the field of crop production, so it is necessary to choose a test object, from which to review, supplement, and learn from experience for building software to manage planting area codes," he said.

The Department of Crop Production and other agencies have selected dragon fruit trees for experiment. In Vietnam, dragon fruit is planted concentratedly in 3 provinces of Binh Thuan, Tien Giang and Long An. After the software for granting and managing planting area codes is completed, in March 2022, the department and sub-agencies will support the 3 provinces of Binh Thuan, Tien Giang, and Long An to deploy and implement before transfering the software to other provinces that are growing dragon fruit. Experiment results on dragon fruit trees are the basis for the department to coordinate with provinces and cities to add more locally important crops to the software for granting and managing planting area codes.

“The building of a database of the crop sector will include issues from production, cultivation, land, management to market… Also in March 2022, the Department of Crop Production will coordinate with localities to collect basic information and data of the cropping sector", Nguyen Nhu Cuong informed.

Duong Tat Thang, Director of the Department of Livestock Production, shared at the meeting, the Department of Livestock Production is coordinating with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) to build a database system for the agriculture and rural development sector, in which there is a database on livestock production.

As of March 15, 2022, VNPT has completed the trial version of the database system on both the web version and the mobile version. The Department of Livestock Production is coordinating to review and edit professional content.

“It is expected that on March 20, the livestock database will be piloted, connecting with 6 localities including Hung Yen, Vinh Phuc, Ha Tinh, Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, An Giang and 10 producing feed enterprises, 10 livestock enterprises, 1 chain of food safety and hygiene management in agriculture", Duong Tat Thang informed.

According to Thang, the livestock database will digitize information on livestock farming households, farms and enterprises; build a knowledge system for the livestock sector; actively coordinate to put livestock products and livestock supplies on the e-commerce platform to promote the digital agricultural economy.

Putting livestock products in particular and agricultural products in general on the e-commerce platform will help ensure the benefits between 3 partners that are Farmers - State - Businessmen, and at the same time help consolidate the database the agricultural sector.

Act now for a transparent and responsible agriculture

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, the Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in the 2021 - 2030 period with a vision to 2050 has affirmed science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as the important driving force to open opportunities and build up growth models in agriculture. It is an urgent need to perceive that digital transformation is a very important task to restructure the agricultural sector towards the goal of building a transparent and responsible agriculture.

“In order to be able to be transparent about agriculture, it is necessary to have a basis, data in the context that Vietnam has been deeply integrated with the world economy and is implementing many new generation free trade agreements. Vietnam's agriculture is very diverse with 7 economic zones, ecology, soil and climate. In order to bring Vietnamese agricultural products to the world market, there is no other way as to make them public and transparent on the basis of digital transformation," said Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.

The leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that from the practical implementation of digital transformation over the past time, 2020 can be considered as the year to raise the awareness of digital transformation. 2021 is the year of the implementation and experience of digital transformation in the context of the pandemic. 2022 is the year to promote digital transformation comprehensively with people-centered mind.

The Deputy Minister suggested the Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Standing Body of the Steering Committee should cooperate to complete the draft Project on Digital Transformation of Agriculture and Rural Development sectors for the period 2022 - 2025, with a vision to 2030, and consult the Steering Committee before the April 30, 2022, so it can be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval before June 30, 2022.