HCM CITY – The Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ targets an agriculture growth rate of 3.5 per cent each year in the 2018-20 period and 2.5 per cent in the 2021-30 period.  

Under the city’s agricultural restructuring plan, the city targets increasing per capita income in rural areas by two times against 2015.

It also estimates that agricultural labourers will account for 30-35 per cent of the city’s labourers in the 2018-20 period.

Speaking at a seminar held on Wednesday, Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, director of the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the plan would improve the quality and competition of the city’s agricultural products in the delta and the country.

The plan will develop key agricultural products and concentrated agricultural production areas with high technologies, he said, adding that it will also develop value chains from production to sales, he said.

The plan will develop high quality strains of plants and animals to supply to the city and other provinces in the delta.

To meet the plan’s targets, the city will set up high-quality large-scale rice fields, clean vegetable planting areas, urban agricultural models and specialty fruit areas, along with ecotourism services and standard aquaculture areas.

From now to 2020, farmers will be guaranteed sales outlets for their crops as well as their aquatic species and animals on around 100,000ha. 

The city will also transfer 25,000ha of ineffective rice fields to other crops as well as aquatic species.

Irrigation systems will be upgraded, floods will be controlled on 90 per cent of agricultural land.   

Up to 75 per cent of rice fields will use certified seeds and machinery for irrigation, harvesting and drying of rice will reach 50 -100 per cent.

The city will build three high-tech agricultural zones at the Agricultural Seed Centre in Thới Lai District, the Sông Hậu Farm and the Cờ Đỏ Farm in Cờ Đỏ District.

Trương Quang Hoài Nam, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, has asked agencies to develop high-tech and clean agriculture, as well as specialty agricultural products.

In 2013, Cần Thơ launched its agricultural restructuring plan and achieved an average growth of 3.2 per cent a year over the past five years.

The average income for crop cultivation is now VNĐ32.5 million (US$1,400) per ha annually, up 7 per cent against 2013, and for aquaculture, VNĐ99.7 million ($4,400), up 9.2 per cent against 2013.

The city has 238 agricultural co-operatives. – VNS