Businesses short of land fund to develop hi-tech applied agriculture

Long An province has gathered many resources in hi-tech applied agriculture development to improve productivity and farm produce quality. However, investors have met with difficulties in developing their projects because of the shortage of clean land fund.

The pilot model of hi-tech applied vegetable and fruit farming at Agricultural Promotion Center in Long An province

A hi-tech applied banana planting model by Huy Long An-My Binh Company in Long An province

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Van Hoang said that lot of firms have come to learn about investment environment and intended to invest in hi-tech agriculture. However, there has been no clean land fund for them to do so.

Many businesses have been lacking in land to develop large scale science and technology application projects. So they have been forced to hire land plots from individual households and met with difficulties in negotiating land purchase or lease with these households.

Chairman of Thanh Hoa district People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tao said that nearly 40 businesses have come to the district to learn about hi-tech applied agriculture. Most of them have intended to invest in farm produce production and processing but got stuck with investment procedures and land use plan.

For instance, an investor wants the district’s assistances to find a land parcel with the total area of 800-1,000 hectares to build a farm but this is beyond the district’s jurisdiction.

Mr. Tao proposed the province to enable the district to take the initiative in working with businesses, who want to invest in small and medium scale projects and build specific mechanisms to attract investors to hi-tech applied agriculture field according to the province’s practical conditions.

Ba Huan Company is preparing for building a hi-tech chicken farm over 50 hectares in Ben Luc district with the total capital of VND450 billion. However, the company has met with difficulties in land use plan.

Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Ha, director of San Ha Company who plans to broaden its closed loop chicken breeding model in Long An, says that hi-tech agriculture needs lot of funds, which is a difficulty but businesses have been able to implement their projects with banks’ assistances. The thing they need most is land so she proposed the province to create a mechanism for businesses to access clean land fund.

The provincial People’s Committee has instructed relevant agencies to set up land plans to attract investors to hi-tech applied agriculture field in the province this year.

The province has been developing the model of hi-tech agriculture in association with agricultural restructuring for sustainable development./.