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HCMC farms spearhead urban agriculture efforts
Though agriculture has yet to develop in Ho Chi Minh City, it has begun to play an increasingly important role in the development of the city’s rural parts, Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat, said.
At a recent meeting with the Agricultural and Farm Enterprises Association, he said the farm sector has yet to exploit its full potential.
Though there are no exact figures on the farming economy’s contributions to the city’s agricultural growth, farms play a leading role in the city’s plan to develop urban agriculture, a significant factor in shifting from food to cash crops, he said.
Unlike in the countryside, farmers in the city only have small pieces of land -- 2.7 hectares on average against 5.7 ha for the whole country.
But they achieve high yields thanks to effective and intensive cultivation.
The profit ratio for urban lands is 61 percent, with almost 29 percent of farmers earning over VND100 million a year and 52 percent earning VND51-100 million.
Breeding ornamental fish and growing orchids require the highest investment but also generate the most profits.
Nguyen Huu Hoai, head of the HCMC Agricultural Development Agency, said 94 percent of farm owners were once farmers and have worked on farms for a long time.
They understand and respond to market demands quickly and take the initiative in establishing stable and wide-ranging relations with buyers, he said.
These are the factors that boost cooperation between farm owners, government agencies, and research organizations, Mr. Hoai added.
The ministry said farm owners have greatly helped the Government draft agricultural policies.
Developing an urban farm economy is expected to help modernize and mechanize agriculture, increasing the yields of cash crops.
The city has 6,370 hectares under various crops and 6,700 people engaged in farming.
Most of the farms are in outlying districts like Can Gio, Cu Chi, Hoc Mon, Thu Duc, Nha Be, Binh Chanh, 9 and 12. Can Gio has two-thirds of the city’s farms.
Aquaculture farms, mostly in Can Gio and Nha Be, account for the lion’s share, followed by animal husbandry and crops.
VietNamNet/SGGP
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