HẢI PHÒNG — Thuận Lợi Limited Company has launched a high-tech organic rice farming project in northern Hải Phòng City’s Kiến Thụy District, the first of its kind in the northern port city.

The company’s director, Nguyễn Đình Thuận, said preparations for the project had been carried out since June 2016, with four high-quality rice varieties selected for cultivation on 32.3ha.

The company has built a production site with facilities for general management as well as for rice processing and storage.

Phạm Văn Hà, vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the project would help boost clean agricultural growth in the city and requested Kiến Thụy authorities to facilitate its operation.

The city plans to zone off nearly 5,800ha for hi-tech farms in the next 12 years, following its resolution on high-tech agricultural area in the 2016-25 period with a vision to 2030.

In the first phase from now to 2020, Hải Phòng will develop three hi-tech agricultural parks on 590ha and 17 hi-tech farming zones, stretching across more than 2,000ha.

The northern city also plans to build 16 hi-tech agricultural zones on an area of 1,900ha during 2021-25 and nine others covering a combined 1,300ha from 2026 to 2030.

The city said it would need more than VNĐ11.88 trillion (US$522 million) for these projects.

Hải Phòng has made some breakthroughs to fulfil this plan, including organising dialogues with investors to encourage them to invest in the city’s hi-tech agriculture, supporting local farmers in applying advanced technology in farming and helping enterprises build trademarks for their farm produce.

The city is now home to some 300ha of hi-tech farms run by seven firms, including DaBaCo, Thuận Lợi, Châu Giang, Giang Sơn Việt Nam, Lượng Huệ, VinEco and Animex Hải Phòng.

Some 12 other firms are planning to invest a total of VNĐ8.6 trillion in hi-tech farming projects on more than 1,300ha. — VNS