The Red Pine International JSC’s high-quality seedling producing centre in Gia Lai Province’s Chư Pưh Commune. – VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Điệp

GIA LAI – Gia Lai Province is emerging as a high-tech agriculture hub in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) region, attracting a plethora of advanced crop and livestock farming projects.

With vast tracts of land, a temperate climate, fertile soil, and an open investment environment, the province has become a strategic choice for both domestic and foreign investors.

Covering over 15,500 square kilometres, most of it nutrient-rich red basalt soil, Gia Lai is ideal for growing coffee, pepper, avocado, durian, passion fruit, vegetables, flowers, and medicinal plants.

The population density in many of its western districts is only 30–60 people per square kilometre, far below the national average.

This supports large-scale production zones, ensuring biosecurity, reducing disease risk and limiting environmental impacts.

Agricultural land costs VNĐ200–300 million (US$7,600–11,400) per hectare, while competitive construction and labour costs lower investors’ expenses compared to lowland areas.

According to the province Department of Agriculture and Environment, Gia Lai has attracted 53 crop production projects since 2016, including 50 in the former Gia Lai Province and five in the former Bình Định Province.

Bình Định merged with Gia Lai on July 1.

A highlight in the former Gia Lai Province is Red Pine International JSC’s high-quality seedling centre in the former Chư Pưh District’s Ia Phang Commune (now part of Chư Pưh Commune).

The 12ha centre has over eight hectares of modern greenhouses and an annual capacity of more than 20 million seedlings.

It supplies RP9 passion fruit and sweet yellow lemon seedlings to the Central Highlands and central and north-western regions besides exporting to Laos and Cambodia.

Lê Văn Tuyến, general director of Red Pine International JSC, said: “We chose Gia Lai for its temperate climate, fertile red basalt soil and suitability for high-tech farming. Its location links economic zones and international border gates, helping products reach key markets.”

The high-tech projects have created large areas for growing raw materials.

Vĩnh Hiệp Co., Ltd. grows 45ha of US-certified organic coffee in Bờ Ngoong Commune and sells to the EU market.

Livestock farming is also developing rapidly in the province, which has approved 125 projects on 3,301ha with total investments of more VNĐ19.127 trillion (US$730 million).

Of them, 52 are already operational, breeding 495,000 head of cattle, over one million pigs and 7.2 million poultry.

They add value and create thousands of jobs.

Many products meet Vietnamese and global good agricultural practices (VietGAP, GlobalGAP) and are recognised as three- to five-star products under the national “One Commune – One Product” programme.

Hoàng Thanh Tùng, general director of Ricky Farm Group JSC, which has invested in seven high-tech pig farms in the province’s west, said: “Gia Lai’s low population density, affordable land, competitive costs, and favourable environment are ideal for biosafety livestock breeding.”

Đinh Hữu Hòa, deputy director of the province Department of Finance, said the 73 livestock projects now under construction and worth more than VNĐ10 trillion (US$380 million), demonstrate businesses’ confidence in Gia Lai’s potential.

“The province will keep attracting large-scale, modern environmentally friendly projects, while improving infrastructure and removing obstacles to help investors operate with confidence.”

Gia Lai has unveiled plans to develop high-tech agriculture with 33 concentrated farming zones by 2030.

Đoàn Ngọc Có, deputy director of its Department of Agriculture and Environment, said high-tech projects have raised average agricultural production to VNĐ350 million (US$13,300) per hectare per year, with some crops reaching VNĐ500 million (US$19,000).

“The province will prioritise modern processing projects to reduce manual labour and improve product quality to supply demanding markets.” – VNS