Farmers urged to change perception on fertiliser use for sustainable agriculture

According to the head of the ministry’s Plant Protection Department Hoang Trung, agricultural production in the Mekong Delta region accounted for more than 50% of Vietnam’s agricultural production, over 90 per cent of the country’s food exports and approximately 70% of the country’s fruit exports.

The region is now facing many impacts and challenges caused by climate change. It is also facing a high risk of unsafe food, soil pollution and water pollution, which could reduce the competitiveness of its farming products in domestic and international markets.

The use of fertilisers and plant protection products in the Mekong Delta region is 35-40% higher than the national average. Particularly, regarding non-organic fertilisers, the Mekong Delta region uses up to 754 kg per ha while the national average is approximately560 kg per ha.

Vietnam in general and the Mekong Delta region in particular has a number of shortcomings in using fertilisers and plant protection products. To be exact, there are many cases of overuse.

In order to make Vietnam’s farming products further meet the requirement of international importers, solutions were suggested at the meeting including mechanisms and policies to promote the use of organic fertiliser and bio-products for plant protection.

Specific groups such as managers, businesses and farmers need specific training in the use of fertilisers and plant production products.

It is also necessary to develop codes for farming areas and packing establishments as well as to develop value chains in agricultural production.

Public-private partnership models should be promoted further to ensure sustainable production and trade of key products in the region.

Vietnam could also learn from the experiences of other countries and take advantage of their assistance in farming products management.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that for a long, farmers in the Mekong Delta region have excessively used fertilisers and pesticides excessively to prevent diseases for crops and yield high production.

“It’s time to show farmers that if they change the way they use fertilisers and pesticides, food enterprises are willing to be with them,” Hoan said.

It was necessary to build an ecosystem or alliance of responsible businesses that advocate for sustainable agriculture, for the sake of farmers and a national brand of agricultural products.

According to the Minister, the alliance will sit down with state management agencies to plan long-term and fundamental development strategies by which sustainable farming models will be implemented and expanded.

The models would help provide farmers with new approaches and new ways toward sustainable agriculture, he said.