Responsible agriculture: From ‘household commission’ to ‘true’ Vinh Phuc responsible agriculture

Society is moving towards the next page, and people's needs are constantly on the rise. Requirements for safe agro-products that are both health-beneficial and farming-efficient have urged the agriculture sector to follow the path of safe production. It is an inevitable movement, a necessary change in farming practices so that product quality and value can be improved and meet consumers' expectations of a cleaner food system for daily lives.

Upon the importance of agriculture in this land, and also to answer the question: "How is its safety guaranteed?", Vietnam Agriculture News reporter had had an interview with Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Director of Vinh Phuc Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Dear sir, it is to my knowledge that Vinh Phuc is a pioneer in biopesticide support to reduce chemical pesticide usage. How did the province raise the awareness of localities, particularly the people, to change the old habits?

To help people change their habits from using chemical pesticides to biological pesticides, our provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development actively conducts training conferences; promotes the building of green and organic-oriented agroproduction models, VietGAP, IPM, SRI, value chain production models; actively coordinate with media agencies such as Vinh Phuc Newspaper, Vinh Phuc Radio and Television Station, Provincial Portal, Agriculture and Rural Development Website, and local radio system to spread the word.

We also have long-term policies, extended in many years. The first ones were simply about supporting seeds, then we were able to support in terms of micro-fertilizers, and finally biopesticides. Looking from the big picture, I see that through each stage of thorough thinking, Vinh Phuc's way of supporting people has improved, in line with the needs of daily lives.

How were the results of the biopesticides support policies? Did they match the province’s expectations? And were there any obstacles in the process?

The biopesticides support expands the safe agroproduction area (the figures are higher with each passing year) and serves as clear evidence to the increase in the agro-product volume as well as the assurance of the market’s food safety.

In 2020 and 2021 alone, with nearly 5,000 ha of green and organic-oriented crop production, approximately 4,300 tons of microbial organic fertilizers have been utilized, contributing to reducing the use of 2,000 tons of inorganic fertilizers and over 2,500 kg of chemical pesticides.

The support policies also help raise farmers' awareness about safety and efficiency in production and protection of health and the ecosystem. The positive results they themselves experience motivate them to actively participate in the movement. Crops are now produced in the direction of safety, the goods all ensure high yield, quality and profits.

Through preliminary economic accounting, it can be seen that after deducting costs, pumpkin profits are nearly VND 90 million/ha; cucumber VND 120 million/ha; peppers and tomatoes nearly VND 100 million/ha; potatoes nearly VND 80 million/ha.

Nevertheless, a number of difficulties still exist.

Market prices are unstable. Input prices are high while the selling prices are low, not to mention the agro-product markets are constantly in an unpredictable state, so many farmers are no longer interested in production.

The complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to conduct training, propaganda, and support for production and consumption of products.

A part of agricultural laborers still has limited insight into the benefits of using biopesticides and incline to prevent pests quickly and thoroughly by using chemical pesticides.

What is your view on responsible agriculture? From that point of view, what specific steps do you think Vinh Phuc needs to take when implementing it in reality?

Facing the requirements of food safety, international economic integration, each of us (from managers and policy makers to producers, traders, and consumers of products) deem it essential to have responsibilities in accordance with our obligations and functions to both construct safe, effective agriculture and ensure sustainable development in the future.

In my opinion, the solution to implement responsible agriculture in the near future include:

• Effectively implement the promulgated mechanisms and policies on agriculture and rural development; remove bottlenecks, activate resources, and improve management efficiency of Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Continue to research, review, adjust, supplement, reconstruct and complete policies on agriculture and rural development; create favorable conditions for the development of agro-production and trade.

• Innovate in terms of growth models associated with improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness; prioritize investment in infrastructure for agroproduction and rural development; improve the efficiency of public investment to serve the restructuring of the agricultural sector.
• Further develop effective forms of production organization; perfect appropriate production relations; improve labor productivity and competitiveness; improve business support and develop environment; create a favorable environment for individuals and businesses to invest in production, trading and linkage to develop high-quality agro-product value chains.
• Raise the level of science and technology research, application, and transfer; boost trade promotion and international economic integration.

Thank you, sir!