Long An has over 2,000-hectare high-tech dragon fruit

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An province and Chau Thanh district People's Committee has just held a 4-year preliminary review meeting on the implementation of the project of "Building a 2,000-hectare high-tech dragon fruit production area in the province”.

Chau Thanh district has made a breakthrough and reached the target before the deadline

At the conference

With the determination to develop agriculture in the direction of enhancing the value, sustainable development in association with the construction of new rural areas, Chau Thanh district has made a breakthrough and reached the target before the deadline.

Up to now, the whole district has implemented 2,082.05 hectares of high-tech dragon fruit application with the participation of about 3,465 households, reaching 104.1 percent of the plan. In particular, the district has carried out more than 841 hectares of pilot models such as planting dragon fruits following VietGAP standards, applying mechanization in handling dragon fruit branches, advanced watering, applying red compact light to stimulate the off-season flower blooming, planting dragon fruits climbing on trusses. Thereby, the models were replicated over 1,240 hectares with the participation of about 2,006 households.

According to Chau Thanh District Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the project has just achieved initial results and created clean, safe and quality products, contributing to increasing profits for farmers. In addition, 31 cooperatives and cooperative groups have been instructed to register to apply the VietGAP process with 322 hectares (483 households) granted certificates. It is estimated that by the end of the year, 619 hectares (981 households) will be granted VietGAP certificates.

At the conference, the delegates said that the implementation of the main targets of the Resolution of Chau Thanh District Party Congress in the term of 2015-2020 has reached and exceeded the targets. However, the quality of agricultural products has not met the requirements; the market prices have fluctuated; the environment has not been well managed; land and construction management have not been closed; the mobilization to establish cooperatives and cooperative groups for high technology application in dragon fruit planting has not met the requirements.

According to Deputy Director of Long An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Chi Thien, the whole province has over 11,800 hectares of dragon fruits, of which, Chau Thanh district has about 9,100 hectares. At present, farmers have applied new technical advances in production, contributing to reducing costs and improving product quality.

Up to now, the implementation of the project has brought positive results. The application of technical advances to dragon fruit planting has initially changed the traditional production practices of farmers, in accordance with current practical requirements and world development trends. Farmers have produced following to VietGAP standards, used micro-organic fertilizer and bio-fertilizer, applied economical watering, planted dragon fruits climbing on trusses, etc. In particular, the economical watering model has helped farmers save 80 percent of labor, electricity and water. As a result, the application of high technology to growing dragon fruits has increased an average profit of about 2.5 - 5 million VND per hectare./.