Đỗ Dân Lập, a farmer in U Minh Thượng District, Kiên Giang Province, harvests bananas. – VNA/VNS Photo Văn Sĩ

KIÊN GIANG – Kiên Giang Province has achieved sustainable agricultural growth with high production value, significantly boosting the incomes of local farmers.

According to its Department of Agriculture and Environment, the income from crops increased from VNĐ94 million (US$3,700) per hectare in 2021 to VNĐ110.5 million ($4,300) last year.

Meanwhile, aquaculture production revenues rose from VNĐ130.4 million ($5,100) in 2021 to VNĐ152.5 million ($6,000) in 2024, reflecting the province's efforts to develop efficient and high-yield agricultural practices.

Lê Hữu Toàn, director of the department, said Kiên Giang has been restructuring its agricultural sector towards sustainable development by focusing on enhancing the quality, added value, and competitiveness of its agricultural products.

The province has maintained stable rice output while increasing the cultivation of high-quality varieties, which have proven more profitable and marketable.

The country’s largest rice-producing locality cultivated more than 710,000ha of rice annually from 2021 to 2024, with high-quality varieties accounting for 93.5 per cent.

It produces around 4.54 million tonnes of paddy each year.

Large-scale rice fields with stakeholder linkages expanded to 116,499ha last year, a 55 per cent increase compared to 2021.

Additionally, 27,000ha of rice met VietGAP, GlobalGAP, SRP, and organic standards, allowing the province to expand its exports to major markets, including the EU, US and Japan.

The areas dedicated to vegetable and fruit cultivation have remained stable over the past years, while specialised fruit-growing zones have expanded as farmers increasingly grow high-value crops such as mango, durian and citrus fruits.

These fruits have gained traction in both domestic and international markets due to their quality and adherence to agricultural safety standards.

Advancing aquaculture and sustainable practices

Kiên Giang has also made significant progress in aquaculture development across freshwater, brackish and saltwater areas, selecting aquatic species best suited to local conditions.

Advanced farming techniques have been widely applied to farming shrimp, mud crabs, blood cockles, and marine fish to enhance productivity and efficiency.

Industrial shrimp farming has been promoted, particularly in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle, encouraging breeders to adopt international standards to meet export requirements.

The province has also strategically rearranged the locations of floating cages for breeding marine fish, bivalve mollusks and other aquatic species in the sea to optimise production while ensuring environmental sustainability.

To combat the effects of climate change, Kiên Giang has converted unproductive mono-rice fields affected by saltwater intrusion into shrimp-rice farming areas, an adaptive model that balances rice cultivation with aquaculture.

Additionally, integrated aquaculture models have been developed, such as breeding shrimp and mud crabs together or raising black tiger shrimp, white-legged shrimp and giant river prawns in the same ponds, primarily in the U Minh Thượng region.

These diversified models have increased the overall value of aquaculture output.

The province’s aquaculture areas expanded from 279,590ha with an annual output of 282,120 tonnes in 2021 to 324,489ha with an annual output of 384,170 tonnes last year.

Shrimp production topped 133,180 tonnes in 2023, reinforcing Kiên Giang’s status as a key aquaculture hub.

Future goals and investment strategies

This year Kiên Giang aims to grow 4.6 million tonnes of paddy, with high-quality varieties making up 90 per cent of them.

It also targets a seafood harvest of around 390,700 tonnes, including 140,000 tonnes of shrimp.

To achieve these goals, it is prioritising investment in irrigation infrastructure, essential for stabilising production.

It will identify key agricultural products for strategic investment, foster partnerships among stakeholders, and attract private-sector participation to develop large-scale, high-value agricultural production.

Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s initiative to develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation linked to green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030, Kiên Giang will contribute 200,000ha.

These sustainable rice areas will be pooled in Rạch Giá City and 11 districts.

In addition, the province is strengthening agricultural expertise by training officials to support farmers with advanced production techniques.

Farmers will also receive training in innovative farming methods and agricultural extension activities to improve product quality, yield and income.

Farmers in Kiên Giang are currently earning high profits due to bumper harvests and rising prices of agricultural products.

Seafood prices in particular surged ahead of the Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays, which began on January 29, enabling farmers to earn substantial incomes.

Trang Thị Tú Ái, a farmer in Vĩnh Thuận District’s Vĩnh Bình Bắc Commune, intercrops black tiger shrimp, white-legged shrimp and giant river prawns on her one-hectare farm.

In the most recent harvest she harvested more than 1.5 tonnes of shrimp, including 1.2 tonnes of giant river prawns.

She sold the prawns at VNĐ140,000 ($5.5) per kilogramme this month, up VNĐ20,000 (78 US cents) from last year.

“After deducting expenses, my family earns a profit of VNĐ130 million ($5,000) a year,” she said.

Similarly, banana, lesser yam and vegetable farmers are also earning increased profits due to rising prices.

Đỗ Dân Lập, a banana farmer in Minh Thuận Commune in U Minh Thượng District, who has 1.5ha, harvests around 2,500 bunches and one tonne of banana blossoms each month.

Since December banana prices have increased steadily, reaching VNĐ5,000–5,500 per bunch and VNĐ10,000 per kilogramme for blossoms, up VNĐ2,000 and VNĐ4,000 compared to a year ago, he said.

At these prices, he earns a monthly profit of VNĐ23 million ($900).

“Prices are currently high, which makes farmers happy, but they remain unstable. We hope companies will collaborate with farmers to ensure stable sales at a reasonable VNĐ4,000–5,000 per bunch.”

U Minh Thượng District has some 2,800ha of banana, 3,200ha of leaf and root vegetables and many fruit orchards.

The district has invested in infrastructure to support diversified agricultural production.

Nguyễn Việt Trung, deputy chairman of the U Minh Thượng District People’s Committee, said to ensure sustainable development authorities are promoting organic, VietGAP and GlobalGAP farming techniques while actively seeking company partnerships to secure steady markets for agricultural products. – VNS