A farmer uses a remote-controlled drip irrigation system via a smartphone to water baby cucumbers. VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Văn Nhiều

PHÚ THỌ – Phú Thọ Province is focusing on transition to digital technology in agriculture as this is considered a key driver for increasing agricultural productivity and farmers' income while expanding markets and promoting agricultural products, helping build a modern and sustainable agricultural sector.

Cẩm Mỹ Tea Cooperative in Tất Thắng Commune, Thanh Sơn District is among enterprises making remarkable strides in embracing digital transformation.

Nguyễn Thị Cẩm Mỹ, deputy head of the cooperative said in the age of booming information technology, consumers could easily access product information online. The cooperative embarked on its digital journey from its inception to establishing a brand.

Today, the cooperative has its own website, an official domain and a Facebook fan page. This digital platform has attracted customers within the province and other localities as well.

Out of their 30-hectare tea plantation, more than 15ha of Cẩm Mỹ's tea production is VietGAP certified, yielding about 240 tonnes of fresh tea buds annually.

This substantial quantity is processed into finished products and distributed across various cities and provinces. To enhance exports, the cooperative plans to create international social media profiles on platforms like Twitter and Instagram.

Mỹ said digital transformation offered many benefits, including accurate market demand predictions, product supply sources, reduced production costs, optimised fertiliser use, and efficient irrigation. Additionally, it enabled tasks that were difficult for humans to perform, such as continuous plant and livestock monitoring, extensive weather and disease analysis.

Digital transformation in agriculture also created added value, facilitated source tracing, tracked growth processes, expanded the consumer market, expedited exports, and ensured safe products at reasonable prices, she said.

Trần Tú Anh, Deputy Director of the Phú Thọ Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said to enhance the value of agricultural products, save costs and protect the environment, a plan for digital transformation was established. It focused on three pillars: digital solutions, digital agricultural economics and digital rural development.

Furthermore, the agricultural sector has identified 50 OCOP (One Commune One Product) production businesses and products for digital transformation. These businesses will be assigned unique identification numbers, mapped, and GPS-located. They will regularly update complete production processes, input and output materials, as well as encode and generate QR codes for source traceability labels.

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the province engaged in activities that supported and guided farmers in using new technology in agriculture. These initiatives included the utilisation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the implementation of automated irrigation systems for crops, and the application of information technology for field reporting and crop area identification to establish cultivation area codes.

In the quest for agricultural digital transformation, he said the province would focus on addressing challenges and providing farmers with the skills necessary for digital transformation. It would encourage the use of advanced technology, connecting with companies that specialised in digital transformation.

The ultimate goal was to have 100 per cent of OCOP products participating in digital transformation, with production supervision and source tracing before reaching the market, he added. – VNS