HCM CITY — The southern province of Sóc Trăng is continuing to offer preferential policies to encourage the development of agricultural production and consumption models as well as economic efficiency among farmers.

Nguyễn Xuân Quế, director of Mỹ Hương 1 Agricultural Co-operative in Mỹ Tú District, said that after a year of establishment the co-operative had collaborated with agricultural firms to sell rice on 545 hectares of sample fields at a stable price.

The co-operative is also involved in agricultural production on 300ha of land with neighboring localities.

Quế said that local authorities’ support for quality infrastructure and equipment had made it easier for the co-operative to thrive.

This year, the co-operative aims to change the entire project area to a large sample field with high-yield rice varieties and invest in more agricultural equipment, among other tasks.

Last year, more than 90 per cent of harvested rice area had products purchased at fields in the province. The amount of agricultural products consumed via co-operation contracts also increased significantly.

More than 56,200ha of winter-spring paddy were backed up by 26 co-operatives and 467 co-operative groups that signed co-operation contracts with firms.

The rice price was up VNĐ500 to 1,200 per kilo year-on-year and farmers’ profits reached VNĐ19 million per hectare last year.

Farmers’ incomes were stable and rice cultivation secured a profit of 30 per cent compared to production costs guided by the State.

The province has a rice production model on 40ha of field following VietGAP standards in Trần Đề District, and four production – consumption models on 200ha of land in Trần Đề, Thạnh Trị, Mỹ Xuyên and Long Phú districts.

In addition to rice, the province is famous for its shrimp and 29.000ha of fruit trees, 153ha of which are grown under VietGAP standards.

In late 2018, Xuân Hoà and Trinh Phú cooperatives signed long-term contracts to sell purple breast milk fruit to Vina T&T Company.

Lương Minh Quyết, director of the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, said the province places top priority on high-tech agricultural production, food hygiene and safety, and quality products following VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

Sóc Trăng has 15 shrimp farms covering 1,015ha of land applying VietGAP, ASC, and BAP standards.

Many shrimp firms have implemented high-tech farming at a high density, generating an average yield of 35 tonnes per hectare.

Tân Nam Farm, Ngọc Thuận Hưng, Khánh Sủng Farm, Tôm Vũ, Thuận Phát and Vĩnh Thuận are some of the successful companies.

Other bigger companies have linked processing and consuming, forming closed shrimp farming systems with 460ha of land in Sóc Trăng Province.

This year, the province continues to develop agriculture with a focus on connecting value chains.

The provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development will also coordinate with the HCM City Food Safety Management Board to manage and promote sales of agricultural products to potential firms in the supply chain between Sóc Trăng and HCM City. — VNS