Farm-based economy contributes to new rural area building in Bac Ninh

Bac Ninh – Developing a farm-based economy with mass production has been defined as a key task by localities in the Red River Delta province of Bac Ninh as they look to become new-style rural areas.

Currently, more than 3,000 households in Bac Ninh are running farms and orchards, but only 167 of them have met production standards for farms.

Most farms and orchards have small areas, averaging 4ha each farm, and mainly rely on family members for labour, with some employing seasonal workers. They also mainly use private capital or community loans.  

Some farms have teamed up to form agricultural cooperatives in order to expand production and provide different varieties and services for local farmers as well as help farmers sell their products.

This successful model has been rolled out on a larger scale, contributing to the establishment of production and husbandry areas that source materials for processing and export plants, creating jobs and raising incomes for local farmers, and promoting the household economy.

Thanks to these efforts, localities in Bac Ninh have moved towards the status of becoming new-style rural areas.

Agriculture-based economic models are important to building new-style rural areas, and address issues facing the household economy such as scientific-technological application in mass production.

They have also attracted capital from organisations and individuals, and provided access to new markets.

After the nine-year implementation of the National Target Programme on New-style Rural Area Building, Bac Ninh has completed the objectives set for the 2010-2020 period.

Upgraded rural infrastructure has better satisfied the demand of local people for production and daily activities, and the agriculture-based economy is shifting towards large-scale production.

By the end of July 2019, Bac Ninh had 89 out of 97 communes (91.75 percent) recognised as new-style rural areas, up 55.67 percent compared to the end of 2015.

The average number of criteria achieved per commune reached 18.85 (up 10 compared to 2010 and 3.14 compared to 2015).

The national target programme on new-style rural area building, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on different aspects with the aim of giving a facelift to rural regions of Vietnam.

The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

Tien Du, Que Vo and Gia Binh districts and Tu Son town have also recognised by the Prime Minister as new-style rural areas. In Bac Ninh city alone three communes have been awarded the status.

It is noteworthy that the Prime Minister has issued a decision recognising Bac Ninh city as a first-tier city.

Located only 30km from Hanoi and 45km from Noi Bai International Airport, Bac Ninh belongs to the Northern Key Economic Region that also encompasses Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh and Vinh Phuc provinces.

The province has firmly established its place as a key part of the Northern Key Economic Region and the whole country.

Besides agriculture, Bac Ninh has led the country in industrial production value, and is also among the leading localities in various economic indicators. Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) expanded about 10.6 percent last year, creating the momentum for the province to become a centrally-run city.

The province’s total export turnover was estimated at 66.12 billion USD last year, representing a year-on-year rise of 6.6 percent.

In 2019, the province is aiming for GRDP growth of 7-8 percent, and import-export revenue of 62 billion USD.