ĐẮC LẮC  – Twenty two months after attending a training programme in a new high-tech agricultural solution called Dip Protection, coffee farmer Trần Văn Nhiên is very happy to see all 250 of his young coffee trees have grown healthily.

Nhiên is one of many farmers from Cư M’Gar District in the Central Highlands province of Đắc Lắc who were selected for the trial demonstration of this solution.

He said: “I use drip protection for my 250 re-planting coffee trees. All my trees have grown 100 per cent healthy.”

Drip Protection, which is a combination of Bayer Much More Coffee and Velum, is an advanced solution helping coffee farmers replant successfully. With Drip Protection, water and crop protection products are distributed throughout the fields via the drip irrigation system and delivered precisely to the roots of the crop.

An expert makes a speech at the Bayer Agricademy  launching ceremony in Đắc Lắc. — VNS Photo Courtesy Bayer Vietnam

The Western Highland Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI)’s cropping system department has said that drip protection enables successful replanting of coffee plants thanks to its advantages including water saving, eco-friendliness, precise targeting, and less exposure for farmers. 

At the Bayer Agricademy  launching ceremony, Dr Phạm Công Trí of WASI said drip irrigation is an excellent solution for controlling nematode that will help solve the major challenges of coffee replanting. 

Lê Thanh Tùng, deputy director general of the Crop Production Department hailed the achievements of dip protection in coffee replanting solutions. 

He said: “The solution should be further promoted and transferred to coffee farmers in highland provinces.”

Dip protection is one of the solutions under a new initiative recently launched by Bayer Vietnam with the main aim of advancing Vietnamese coffee and fruit farming to the next level.

The initiative has established Bayer Agricademy, a centre for sharing knowledge of advanced farming solutions by offering training to local farmers in safe, sustainable, profitable, and globally acceptable agriculture.

This initiative is a reliable partner of agriculture stakeholders by creating more opportunities for improvements in agricultural production, financial growth and farm operations through premium training.

It will support the development of modern agriculture in Việt Nam and help improve the livelihoods of farmers, especially those growing coffee and fruits.

The initiative not only provides advanced solutions like drip protection but also enables farmers to have the capability and market linkages via Better Life Farming Alliances to develop sustainable and scalable business models benefiting smallholder coffee farmers.

In fruit farming, Bayer is also collaborating with the Southern Fruit Research Institute to offer the technical solutions including “Much More Durian” and “Much More Pomelo”.

Through those programmes, farmers will acquire knowledge of agronomy, cultivation techniques and integrated pest management solutions, thereby helping improve productivity, quality and profitability of their crops, eventually enabling exports. – VNS