A jackfruit orchard on a former rice field in Đồng Tháp Province’s Tháp Mười District. – VNA Photo Nguyễn Văn Trí

ĐỒNG THÁP – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp plans to grow other crops on more than 10,000ha of unproductive rice fields this year to adapt to climate change and improve farmers’ incomes.

They will grow fruits, short-term crops and perennial trees.

Nguyễn Phước Thiện, deputy chairman of the province People’s Committee, said: “The conversion of rice fields into growing fruit and other crops that have high economic value will improve production efficiency and farmers’ incomes.”

It would help restructure agriculture in some localities to exploit their natural advantages and ensure sustainable farming, establish concentrated growing areas with large outputs, and help develop brand names for the province’s produce and production codes for growing areas to serve exports, he added.

The conversion will offer farmers profits two or three times higher than from rice, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Huỳnh Tấn Đạt, deputy director of the department, said the province is expanding effective farming models for flowers and vegetables as these crops’ durations are only two to three months but yield profits of VNĐ50 -77 million (US$2,000 – 2,800) per hectare per crop.

Many rice farmers in Hồng Ngự District, for instance, have switched to growing water spinach for harvesting seeds on nearly 220ha, and earn 2.3 times the profits they got from rice.

Water spinach farming is ideal for local conditions, helps adapt to climate change, stabilise agricultural production, and has high efficiency, according to local farmers.

Farmers who switched to other crops on their unproductive rice fields earn two to eight times more, according to the department.

Fruits such as mango, longan, lime, and jackfruit fetch VNĐ50 - 200 million ($2,000 - 5,000) per hectare per year.

Nguyễn Thành Dũng in Thanh Bình District’s Tân Mỹ Commune started growing jackfruit on his 5,000 sq.m of rice paddy three years ago.

Now he earns VNĐ70 million ($2,800) a year compared to VNĐ15 - 30 million ($600-1,200) earlier, he said.

On the remaining 0.5ha of paddy, he began growing jackfruit this month.

Farmers who grow fruits to quality standards such as Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) and organic standards earn higher profits.

In Châu Thành District, farmers who grow durian to VietGAP standards earn VNĐ700 million ($28,200) per hectare per year.

Farmers in the province switched to other crops on 11,500ha last year, 83 per cent higher than the target, according to the department.

To help improve production efficiency, the province has instructed farmers in what crops are suitable where and in farming techniques.

Last year it provided training to 1,474 people in rural areas in growing crops, breeding animals and aquaculture.

It plans to train another 2,170 this year in high-tech farming and growing crops to quality standards such as organic. – VNS