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| The hi-tech vegetable farming model at Tuan Ngoc Cooperative in Long Truong Ward of Thu Duc City |
According to Director Thien, the ornamental fish industry in Ho Chi Minh City earned a total value of more than US$1 million from exporting aquarium fish every month in the first months of 2023 despite the world's quiet ornamental fish market. He added that thanks to the investment in applying new technology, ornamental fish of the company as well as many other firms in Ho Chi Minh City have been exported to some fastidious markets in Europe and the US.
Agricultural products of farmers in Ho Chi Minh City are not only favorites by domestic consumers but also exported, bringing big revenue to the city. All products are produced by farmers according to high-tech processes, with brands such as Can Gio mango grown according to VietGAP standards, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes in the net house of farmers in Binh Tan district; sprouts and hydroponic leafy vegetables from Thu Duc City; orchids of farmers in Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi districts.
Over 60 years old, grower Tran Thi Phai in Tang Nhon Phu B Ward of Thu Duc City talked about her 500 square-meter net house system of growing vegetables which are designed to be closed from seed incubation, processing of substrates by machine, to vegetable cutting room, automatic misting. At first, she was growing water spinach and cabbage, but later she planted vegetable sprouts, red radishes, white radishes, and sunflowers. Her family's agricultural products are now displayed in big supermarkets.
The family of master Tran Thi Ngoc Thao is famous in Da Phuoc Commune of Binh Chanh District for success in growing Dendrobium orchids, imported from Thailand. She and her husband spent money on a net house system and automatic sprinkler irrigation when converting 1,800 square meters of rice land to growing orchids. Realizing that the more she invests in the orchids, the more she earns; therefore, she cooperated with the tissue culture laboratory to actively source seeds for the orchid garden. Now, farmer Tran Thi Ngoc Thao has become famous with Dendrobium orchid products with about 40 colors, providing the market with 300-500 plants a day, and up to 1,000 -1,200 plants daily on the national holidays and Tet (the Lunar New Year) holidays.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lam Ngoc Tuan, Director of Tuan Ngoc Cooperative in Long Truong Ward of Thu Duc City, was successful with the application model of greenhouses, net houses, and automatic irrigation technology systems for growing hydroponic vegetables with VietGAP quality. Mr. Tuan said that the cooperative manages the production of a 10,500 square meter net house, with an output of 320 tons a year and a revenue of VND 4.9 billion.
New technology has helped to improve crop productivity, from 60kg a day in an area of 1,000 square meters in the traditional growing methods to 100-120kg a day by the high-tech hydroponics method. High-tech agricultural products ensure food hygiene and safety, increasing the value of products in the market.
More farmers poured money into high technology under the financial support from the city budget and Ho Chi Minh City Farmers Support Fund. Each farmer can borrow capital of VND100 million or a project team can borrow VND2 billion with an interest rate of 7.8 percent per annum to invest and apply new technologies in production. The Farmer Support Fund has really become a ‘launcher’ for many farmers who wished to invest in technology to make rich.
Grower Tran Thi Phai said that with the support of loans from the farmers' association and technique support of VietGAP vegetable production of the Ho Chi Minh City's Center for Agricultural Consultancy and Support under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ho Chi Minh City, her family's sprouts have been sold in the supermarket system MM Mega Market, AEON mall.
The Ho Chi Minh City Farmers Association also helped to establish cooperatives so that members can help each other access and master technology and do business together. Following the success of Tuan Ngoc Cooperative, many agricultural cooperatives were established; for instance, the Binh Loi ornamental fish cooperative in Binh Loi Commune of Binh Chanh outlying district with a charter capital of VND1 billion and 9 members raising ornamental fish and producing feeds for ornamental fish.
The Trung Dong high-tech agricultural cooperative in Thoi Tam Thon Commune of Hoc Mon District with a charter capital of VND10 billion was set up for growing vegetables and fruits of all kinds and flowers. Mr. Trang Trung Son, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cooperative, said that the cooperative promotes support and transfer of science and technology to growers.
Talking to SGGP Newspaper, a representative of the Hoc Mon District Farmers' Association said that the locality currently has 28 cooperatives including 19 facilities operating in the field of agriculture. Cooperatives focus on material supply, product consumption for farmers and putting agricultural products on the electronic trading floor areas which farmers need.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Farmers' Association Nguyen Thanh Xuan expected that the management board of cooperatives and good business and production farmers' clubs of districts, in Thu Duc City would conduct studies, implement and replicate these high-tech urban agricultural models in addition to producing key products and potential products such as vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, brackish water shrimp, and ornamental fish.
