Binh Thuan's Agriculture and Rural development

LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Over there rainfall is little, average 800-1,600 mm a year. The average temperature is 26.5-27.5 centigrade and the total annual temperature is 6,800-9,900 centigrade. A lot of sun-shine and wind, therefore water vaporization is great. According to the experiences of local farmers, the natural conditions are not favorable for agriculture. But the realities are different.

We are talking about Binh Thuan, a province in the Southeast and under the influence of the pivotal economic area in South Vietnam.

As we know it, most Binh Thuan's territories are hilly and mountainous (40.7%) Sandbanks and salty soils occupy 18.24%. Hilly land occupies 31.66%. The rest, fluvial land is along the coast and the La Nga river valleys, with a total area of 75,00 ha, equivalent to 9.43%. Water sources are distributed unevenly and underground water is little and salt-infiltrated, of little service to production and life. As said, due to little rainfall and great vaporization drought is one of the restrictions to the province's production in general and agriculture in particular. However, with its peculiarities Binh Thuan has potentials to develop a diverse agriculture. Besides, the party's, the state's and the Binh Thuan provincial Party Committee's agriculture policies have given supports and momentum to agricultural development. Supports in the forms of seedling, variety, marketing and favorable investment treatment are welcomed by the people. Advantageous agricultural products linked with processing industries, such as cotton, cashew nuts, animal food, have made firm steps forward. Furthermore, infra-structure components such as irrigation, communication and electricity have been invested and productive. Therefore, in the past years Binh Thuan agriculture developed quite well along the line of specialization, especially in respect to advantageous agricultural products like cotton, cashew, rubber, dragon fruits and sugar canes; contributing to the development of processing industries, promoting structural changes in agricultural-rural economy and increasing the values of agricultural production. Agricultural structure and intensive production sys-tem have been moving to concentration, efficiency and reasonable exploitation. These achievements set up the foundation and pillars for agricultural development in next stages.

To speed up the process of industrialization and modernization, the Binh Thuan Agricultural Department should build a goods production economy with high values in advanced technologies, tightening up the link between agricultural product and processing industries and sustainable growth. Material base and key technologies should be built up to serve the restructuring of agricultural and rural economy for speedy and sustainable growth, industrialization and modernization, improvement of the farmers' spiritual and material like, environment protection, jobs creation, increase in income, civilized and modern rural like. This is the objectives and strategic orientation of agricultural up to 2010.

To make it clearer, we met Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hai, director of the Binh Thuan Department for Agricultural and rural Development, open mind and friendly attitude, he said:

In the future, the internal structure of agricultural would dramatially change to increase the values of cattle and poultry production quickly to 30% of total production values. ln cultivation, the values of industrial and fruit trees would be 35%. Rural economy would be restructured to decrease the values of agricultural and gradually increase the values of industries, small industries, handicraft and services. The Structure of rural economy in 2010 should be 60% agricultural; 40% industries, small industries and services and the percentage of the labor force engaged in agricultural would be 55%.

In the coming years, Binh Thuan would concentrate on several main and advantageous agricultural plants and link them with processing and marketing. Specifically, in 2010 cotton would be 45,000 ha, sugar canes 8,000 ha and cassava 20,000 ha. The areas of concentration would be in the districts of Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam and Bac Binh. With respect to long-life trees, 13,000 ha of old cashew would be improved, new planting would be accelerated so that by 2010 there would be 30,000 ha and production capacity of 25.000 tons.

The rubber area would be expanded to 15,000 ha by 2005 and further investment would be made in intensification and linkage with processing for export. Binh Thuan is known as the homeland of dragon fruits, accounting for over 70% of the country's export in this product. Today, thanks to new technologies, planting dragon fruits by-crops have been created. Binh Thuan would give priority to expand the areas of these plants to 11,000 ha by 2010. Further more, 16,000 ha of other advantageous fruit trees, such as mango, lichee and grape, would be developed on suitable soils.

The advantage of cattle breeding in Binh Thuan is cow raising for beef and milk. With a goal of having 220,000 cows in 2010, cattle breeding has been developing with great attention to become a major economic sector of the province. At the same time, total pigs would be 350,000 with high percentage of lean meat and sufficient piglets with total poultry would be 6 million. The percentage of cattle and poultry breeding in the national Domestic production would be increased from 21% today to 40% in 2010. Natural pastures would be expanded. Less cultivable land would be changed to grassland in farm and household sizes in connection with irrigation projects in the Luy river area, (Phan Ri- Phan Thiet project), the Mong-Paket river system area (Ham Thanh district), the Dinh river area (Ham Tan district) and the Quao river area (Ham Thuan Bac district).

When talking about the provincial forestry, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hai was very enthusiastic. In his eyes saw the hopes of better life for the people there. At present the province has 409,000 ha of forest land. This is the local major resource. ~we will create quota mechanism for national forest land and protect forest long - termed forest plants to the people. Thanks to reforestation, economic incentives, poverty elimination, forest preservation and development would be done simultaneously". In the time to come, pants structure will be diversified, including hopea, mother of pearl, peltophore, “manh tong" bamboo, cashew, rubber tree...

Binh Thuan will create favorable procedural conditions for investment and joint venture in reforestation, 1 including trees for pulp and artificial wood with an area of 30,000- 40,000 ha. The 5 million ha of forests will be carried on. The annual newly planted area is at least 5,000 ha of different varieties and the total will be 120,000 ha by 2010, including 61,000 ha planted and 59.000 ha restored.

Binh Thuan is one of the 3 provinces having the most advantageous in industrial salt production possessing many “mountains of salt" looked like ancient architectural structures. At present Binh Thuan is beginning investment to improve and upgrade existing salt - pans of 1.500 ha tons for industries and 50,000 tons for food. Step by step, high technologies are applied, infrastructure invested, salt - pans and production equipment modernized.

The processing industries have a great role to play at the service of agriculture and rural development and the increase of the values of agricultural products. The processing industries have made considerable advances in the past years. Processing enterprises for cashew nuts, wood, cotton, sugar and flour have been established. ln addition, small processing and services units have been set up. Therefore, the values and marketing of agricultural and forest products have been increased consider- ably. With respect to rubber processing, the rubber companies will upgrade their existing facilities to meet the needs in different periods of time. At the same time, household processing facilities will be encouraged to satisfy the demands of the increase in annual production. The rubber processing factory will be modernized to have an output capacity of 1 5,000 tons of dry latex a year. In regard to animal food processing, Binh Thuan is calling for investment to build a factory in the city of Phan Thiet, with a capacity of 10,000 tons yearly. Another factory will be invested in the Duc Linh district after 2005. Binh Thuan is making plans for processing industries development parrallel to the development of materials in supplying the areas of the country side. This work will contribute to the development of processing industries in the whole province in the 2001 - 20 1 0 period. At a growth rate of 14.7-15.8% at year and to the increase of the percentage of industries in the provincial  domestic production from 14.7% in 12,000 to 17.2% in 2005 and 20% in 1 2010.

The factors in helping development of the industries are the following: small industrial and handicraft productions and the restructure in the rural economy are the development of the services system. The development of technological services and transfer, irrigation and clean water supplies has changed greatly in the rural economy. The Plants Nursery Center has diversified and expanded cooperations with cooperatives and households to produce and supply seedlings. The agricultural promotion center has consolidated and widened. The agricultural promotion network from provincial to local levels. The linkages between research and training institutions and farmers have been established. State businesses engaged in materials supply and agricultural and forestry processing will sign production and marketing contracts with ' farmers. State and private engineering trade services rent and will be expanded t to mechanize agriculture step by step. Information, technological progress and 1 application have been diffused to help farmers in production.

Because of the day conditions, investment in irrigation has been of special concern. lnvestment in irrigation is an active measure to increase agricultural areas, intensify production and, restructure cultivation. At the same time, it helps to drain flood water, create clean water sources for local people and promote aquatic cultivation. ln the next period, Binh Thuan will invest to develop irrigation along the line of reasonable and thrifty use of the water resource, and maximum exploitation of existing irrigation projects. Moreover, it will increase investment and accelerate the consolidation of water canals at 3 levels (central, provincial and district), so that by 2010, first and second- grade canals account for 40% and third grade canals 60%. Every opportunity of central and local resources will be taken to build and complete new projects, such as the Du Du reservoir (440 ha), the Long Song reservoir (4,200 ha). The Song Mong and Kapet reservoirs (to increase the capacity of the Song Mong- Kapet- Baban irrigation system from 2,700 ha to 5,900 ha), the Phan Ri- Phan Thiet system (32,000) the Ta Pao Dam (22,000 ha) the Song Dinh reservoir (4,200 ha) and small irrigation system in mountainous areas, such as the Song Khan and Daguiri reservoirs. The objective is to increase the irrigated areas of ' the province to 90,000 ha or 49% of agricultural lead by 2010.

To reach those objectives, Binh Thuan should mobilize the resources of all economic sectors, including house-holds and plantations; develop median and small businesses in the countryside as well as cooperative economy and agriculture – forestry - salt cooperatives. Cooperatives should be encouraged to change production structure forms production cooperation with organizations and individuals should be expanded. Favorable conditions should be created for all economic sectors to participate in processing, marketing and exporting 1 agricultural, forestry, high-technological activities should be enhanced.

Investment should concentrate on infrastructure, equipment for nursery gardens and variety creation research, application and production capabilities, at the service of restructuring agricultural and rural economy. Agricultural mechanization and advanced processing technologies application should be accelerated. Scientists and capabilities of specialized scientific technological institutions should be built up. Technologies transfer to remote and mountainous areas should be enhanced. Trade promotion, market information diffusion and goods exchanges should be intensified. Encouragements and supports should be given to businesses to create stable and prestigious trade marks.

ln my opinion, a number of suggestions and proposals that Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hai made to the province are arguable for agricultural development and rural modernization. For examples: The Binh Thuan province should make policies to develop strongly collective, plantation and household economics as well as small industries and handicraft; concentration should be on aquatic products processing so that sea-food become a main exports; further investment should be made for agricultural scientists. With respect to the central provinces, due to their particular natural conditions, investment should focus on irrigation. An agriculture with simple means of production has been changed gradually into a mechanized, irrigated and modernized one. In the period from today to 2010, efforts will be exerted to achieve an annual growth rate of 7% for agriculture and forestry, 15% for agriculture, forestry and aquatic production and 1 5% for their export values. The average household's income in 2010 will be three times the average household's income in 2001. The percentage of mechanization in main agricultural works will be 60% in 2005 and about 85% in 2010. Processing equipment and technologies will be modernized to increase the percentage of processed agricultural products to 60% in 2010.

"No agriculture no stability". Let's believe that in the years to come the Binh Thuan economy will attain many glorious achievements. And in them there are the contributions of the Provincial Agriculture and Rural Development./.

NGUYEN HUONG