Central Highlands province promotes sustainable agricultural production

Gia Lai, (VNA) - In response to climate change’s impacts on agriculture, Mang Yang district in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai is focusing on promoting sustainable agriculture production to increase product value and stabilise farmers’ income.

The district is paying heed to restructuring crops and diversifying crops on a single cultivation area. Up to now, it has swiched nearly 1,000 hectares of inefficient crops into more lucrative fruit trees.

According to Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of DOVECO Gia Lai Project Management Board under the Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Company, his business’ project has developed nearly 3,000 hectares of crops such as lemon, pineapple, soybean and sweet corn in 14 districts, cities and towns in Gia Lai province.

“We have signed contracts with cooperative groups and cooperatives representing farmers to ensure sufficient materials input for processing lines,” he said.

In addition, with nearly 4,000 hectares of coffee tree, Mang Yang district’s agriculture sector has developed a strategy for sustainable development of this major crop.

The district’s agricultural sector has completed and transferred a model of intercropping coffee with avocado trees on an area of 5 hectares in two communes of Ho Ra and Dac Ta Lay. This model is highly valued by local people.

Huynh Van Trung, a resident in Dak Ta Ley commune, Mang Yang district, owns a 25-year-old coffee garden. He revealed that the Government has sponsored a programme to replant coffee trees and intercropping coffee with avocado trees.

“I removed old, unqualified coffee trees. I also received new coffee and avocado varieties. The plants are developing well andI hope they will have a higher efficiency,”Trung told VNA reporter.

Pham Ngoc Co, head of the Agriculture & Rural Development Department in Mang Yang district, said the locality boasts some key crops such as pepper and coffee trees. 

The department is diversifying crops to avoid price and oversupply risks, he said, adding that the district has shifted to growing fruit trees and targets 1,000 ha of fruit trees between now and 2020.

Changing the areas of ineffective crops into the ones of fruit trees, intercropping fruit trees with coffee trees and linking farmers with enterprises are part of the district’s efforts to boost sustainable development, limit risks in the context of integration and fierce competition.