Quang Ninh's organic agriculture project's expected breakthrough

Mine land is vibrant with organic agriculture

Currently, developing organic agriculture is the direction that many localities across the country are choosing, including Quang Ninh province. Quang Ninh has many potential and advantages in terms of soil and climate conditions to develop organic agriculture. Along with that, the potential of the domestic market for organic products is very large, especially when people's income levels increase rapidly, promoting the demand for safe and quality food.

In recent years, Quang Ninh province has also shown positive signs of developing organic agriculture. Organic production models have applied the principle of "6 no" in production, including no pesticides and no herbicides, no chemical fertilizers, no growth stimulants, no preservatives, no use of genetically modified seeds, and no soil contamination.

Mr. Tran Van Thuc, Director of the Quang Ninh Crop Production and Plant Protection Subdepartment, said that farmers participating in the organic farming model receive technical training from the Department in care and support for organic fertilizer products certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"When people participate in organic agricultural production, they will be supported in surveying, analyzing, and evaluating environmental factors such as soil, water, and pesticide residue", Mr. Thuc said.

According to statistics, the entire Quang Ninh province currently has over 1,000 ha of commodity agricultural production according to VietGAP standards, 416 facilities apply advanced quality management programs (GMP, SSOP, HACCP...); 19 fruit growing areas, 5 fresh fruit packaging facilities, and 9 seafood export companies are qualified to export to the Chinese market; maintains 16 certified safe food supply chains with 59 product types.

In particular, Quang Ninh currently has 45 ha of organic rice production with an output of about 122 tons in Uong Bi City and Quang Yen town. Productivity is about 7 tons/ha, about 1 ton/ha higher than traditionally grown rice, and the selling price is also 10-15% higher than rice grown in the old way. This results in an increase in income of 10 - 30% compared to conventional production methods. Production mustn't use herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides, so it brings many benefits for farmers, ecological environment protection, and favorable consumption of products at high prices. 

For medicinal plants and non-timber forest products, some cinnamon growing areas in Dam Ha district and Tien Yen district have now been approved by The independent global international certification organization in commodity management and supervision (Control Union Certifications). The Union issues certificates of European organic standards.

Accordingly, nearly 350 ha with more than 220 tons of organic cinnamon have been "granted an export visa" and are present in the most stringent markets of Europe. The selling price ranges from VND 23,000 - 25,000/kg (20% higher than regular cinnamon).

Strength of the organic agriculture project

Although initial results have been positive, however, organic agricultural models and projects in Quang Ninh province are only on a fragmented, small scale, implemented partially. Therefore, it does not meet the current development trends and requirements. 

Mr. Pham Van Tuyen (Son Duong commune, Ha Long city) shared that to successfully grow agro-products according to the VietGAP process, people had to meet very strict standards in production techniques such as choosing soil, varieties, and fertilizer until harvest. For organic production, standards must be even higher as a series of criteria must be met. There must be no chemical fertilizers, no herbicides, no pesticides, no genetically modified substances, no growth stimulants and it takes time to improve soil quality, water sources...

"Organic production is a long, high-cost process and takes 3 to 5 years to harvest. Therefore, management agencies must have policies to support people in the long-term land lease, preferential loans, technical training, and product promotion and consumption", Mr Tuyen expressed.

Based on a clear study of the potentials and advantages, organic agriculture is determined to be an inevitable production trend to build a sustainable agriculture worthy of its potential. In March 2023, the Provincial People's Committee approved the Project "Developing organic agriculture in Quang Ninh province until 2025, with a vision to 2030".

Based on the assessment of potential and challenges, the project has proposed 11 groups of solutions to achieve the goal of forming several organic agricultural production areas based on selecting key agricultural products with competitive advantages and export potential to enhance product value. For example, fruit trees, medicinal herbs, and organic rice in the localities of Quang Yen, Ba Che, Binh Lieu, Dam Ha, and Hai Ha.

According to Mr Nguyen Van Duc, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ninh Province, Producing organic products that meet certified standards will contribute to improving product value, strengthening and developing the brand... In particular, it contributes to restructuring the province's agricultural sector when the value of organic products is 15 - 20% higher than products produced by conventional methods.

In the coming time, the project's goal is to produce standard organic products to help expand the market not only inside and outside the province, but can also enter international markets such as the US, EU, Japan...

To effectively implement the Project "Developing Organic Agriculture in Quang Ninh Province Until 2025, with a Vision to 2030", the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has advised the Provincial People's Committee to develop policies to encourage organic agriculture such as 100% funding support for identifying regions and areas eligible for organic production and support all costs for product certification. Connecting producer households with consuming businesses creates favorable conditions for businesses to package and export organic agricultural products.