A farmer harvests lotus pods in a field where he rotates between rice and lotus under a pilot programme under the Mekong NbS Project in An Giang Province’s Tịnh Biên Town. — VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

AN GIANG — An Giang Province targets 4.8 per cent growth for its agricultural sector this year, up from 3.7 per cent in 2024.

Ngô Công Thức, deputy chairman of its People's Committee, said agriculture would continue to serve as a pillar of the province’s socio-economic development, and so the sector aims to modernise production, adopt sustainable development strategies and promote economies of scale through restructuring.

To achieve its growth target, the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province will enhance production efficiency by applying advanced technologies, developing new-style rural areas and improving infrastructure.

It aims to cultivate over 622,000ha of rice across the winter-spring, summer-autumn and autumn-winter crops this year, an increase of 3,500ha from last year.

It also intends to expand the area under vegetable by 1,500ha and grow 1,000ha of new orchards that will begin fruiting this year.

It aims to become a hub for high-quality tra fish brood stock in the delta.

Trần Thanh Hiệp, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said his agency plans to restructure agriculture, attract investment in high-tech farming and establish specialised farming zones where each locality focuses on one or two key products.

"An Giang will prioritise switching to more profitable cash crops on unproductive rice fields. Inspections will be carried out, and production codes will be issued for rice, vegetable and fruit-growing areas and for packing facilities.

“This will help farmers restructure production to meet quality standards and ensure product traceability for export."

The province will also refine its three-tier tra fish breeding system to ensure high-quality fry supply, strengthen seafood production through value chain development and expand export markets for tra fish.

It will speed up digital transformation, attract private investment in agriculture and develop value chains for agricultural products.

Nature-based agriculture

Located in the upstream area of the Mekong River, An Giang has fertile soil but faces challenges due to climate change.

It is shifting towards nature-based and high-tech agriculture to enhance production value, increase farmers' incomes and minimise environmental impacts.

Nguyễn Tấn Tài was among the first farmers in Tịnh Biên Town’s Vĩnh Trung Commune to participate in an integrated model combining lotus cultivation, yellow bighead catfish farming, dried fish production, and eco-tourism services.

The model is being piloted in Văn Giáo and Vĩnh Trung communes under the Mekong NbS Project with funding from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Việt Nam and support from experts from the Climate Change Institute at An Giang University.

Tài said on his 1ha field in the buffer zone of the Trà Sư Canal he used to grow two rice crops a year, leaving the land left idle during the annual flooding season, resulting in an unstable income.

After joining the project, he collaborated with five neighbouring households and leased an additional 44ha to implement the model. "This model is entirely nature-based, requiring little to no chemical fertilisers or pesticides. It provides a stable income. On the same plot of land, farmers can boost profits through multiple revenue streams, including lotus, fish and tourism.

“If the fish in the fields cannot be sold immediately, they can be processed into dried fish for sale later."

Farmers involved in the model receive a lot of support and are connected with enterprises and startups to market products such as lotus tea, lotus pods and dried fish.

Trịnh Phước Nguyên, deputy head of the Climate Change Institute, said the province has great potential for developing organic farming using nature-based methods.

This approach is an inevitable trend that helps mitigate the impacts of climate change and ensures the delta’s sustainable development, he said.

An Giang is actively restructuring its agricultural sector and has adopted various nature-based farming models, including for breeding fish and other aquatic species in rice fields during the Mekong flood season.

It is implementing the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s project to sustainably develop one million ha of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the delta by 2030.

Hiệp said the province aims to cultivate more than 44,000ha of rice under the project this year as against 8,540ha last year.

"Farmers participating in the project have seen reduced production costs, lower emissions, and increased productivity."

The use of rice seeds for sowing under the project has been reduced to 80 kilogrammes per hectare per crop, compared to 120-170kg under traditional growing methods.

The yields are 100kg per hectare higher than from traditional methods.

Farmers earn VNĐ3.6–5.3 million (US$140-210) more profit per hectare. — VNS