A Ngọc Linh ginseng farm in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum’s Tu Mơ Rông District. — Photo vov.vn

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS — The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum has attracted investors’ attention as authorities make efforts to foster hi-tech agriculture.

According to the People’s Committee, the province has 856,000ha of agricultural land, or 88 per cent of all available land.

The province has adopted high technology and advanced irrigation techniques on 7,600ha of farming area so far, 277ha of vegetable and floriculture and 7,057ha of coffee and pepper.

Kon Tum has dedicated areas for hi-tech agriculture such as for cultivation of vegetables, flowers and medical herbs in Măng Đen (Kon Plông District), Ngọc Linh ginseng on an area 1,500 metres above sea level in the districts of Đắk Glei and Tu Mơ Rông and coffee in Đắk Hà District, and livestock in the newly-established district of Ia H’Drai.

In 2016 the People’s Committee, which has recognised hi-tech agriculture as one of the province’s three major economic sectors, issued a resolution on the development of hi-tech farming linked with agricultural processing.

At a conference held in Kon Tum City in September 2018 to discuss the cultivation of Ngọc Ling ginseng and other medicinal herbs, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc approved a project to build an industrial park exclusively for medicinal herb production and processing.

He also green-lighted the planting of medicinal herbs under trees in the province’s sprawling forests.

Kon Tum authorities have approved a list of 108 projects requiring investment, including major agricultural projects using hi-tech.

The province currently has 27 hi-tech agricultural projects with a total investment of almost VNĐ7 trillion (over US$300 million).

Major projects include hi-tech agricultural production and eco-tourism in Kon Plông District by a joint venture between Kon Plong Agri – Tourism Việt Nam and Australia’s 4Ways Pty. Ltd., setting up of an international standard organic farm by BIOPAP Ltd,. the Măng Đen Hi-tech Planting Zone by 4Ways, and the VinEco Kon Tum Hi-tech Agricultural Production by Vingroup.

To create favourable conditions for investment, in 2017-19 the province invested over VNĐ1,115 billion (nearly US$500 million) to develop infrastructure for hi-tech agriculture, Nguyễn Văn Hoà, Chairman of the People’s Committee, said.

The provincial authority has also set up a work team headed by a deputy chairman of the People’s Committee to monitor the action programme for hi-tech agricultural production. — VNS