The ministries of science and agriculture have urged six provinces in the northern Central region to utilise land in the corridor of Ho Chi Minh Trail to develop high-tech agriculture.

The provinces are Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. They have a total of nearly 2.1 million hectares of land, the majority of which is bazan red soil along the trail.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the plentiful soil is suitable for the development of agriculture using advanced technology. The vast, hilly land and nutritious red soil are sound conditions for that type of agriculture, said minister Chu Ngoc Anh, adding that recent decades had witnessed a lacklustre growth of traditional agriculture in the region.

He said high-tech agriculture would be the best way to exploit the rich soil along the trail for fast economic growth of the region.

According to a minitry’s report, several facilities have operated in the region, including Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation in Thanh Hoa and Nafoods Group and TH Group in Nghe An.

Lam Son runs facilities along the trail growing sugarcane, vegetables, fruits and flowers using advanced technology. Fruits and vegetable manufacturer Nafoods has modern farms growing passion fruit. Meanwhile, TH Group runs dairy farms.

The ministry has worked to supply advanced farming tools, new seeds and modern farming techniques to potential agricultural investors in the region.

Deputy minister of agriculture and rural development Le Quoc Doanh said local authorities in the six provinces sharing the trail corridor’s land source should work together to plan the type and scale of agriculture as well as farming varieties to attract investors.

He pledged the support of the agriculture ministry in planning and networking with qualified investors as well as seeds and equipment suppliers.

During a workshop held late last week in Nghe An, local authorities of the provinces agreed to cooperate to make full use of the vast, rich land for agriculture using advanced technology.

However, they suggested a detailed study by the ministries for zoning in the region according to climatic and soil conditions so that they could develop a coalescing plan for the region.

They also wanted consultation of qualified investors and suppliers in the field as well as sought a potential market for their products.

Anh said the ministries would work closely with the provinces’ authorities to finalise a proposed master plan to make use of the trail-side land. He believed sound networking among authorities, investors and local farmers gained from the workshop would result in effective practice. — VNS