Trees are big business in Dong Nai, with up to 370,000ha of the province dedicated to cultivating them for industrial use and for fruit, accounting for 62 per cent of the province’s undeveloped land space.
At grassroots level, productivity of forestry plantations and orchards for one farmer has blossomed since he set up a regulated sprinkler system to water his plants last year with the support of the Extension Centre of Dong Nai Province.
It’s been a total success story for Le Van Tam, a resident in Bau Sinh village of Dinh Quan District as the productivity of his rambutan and durian plantations has increased 2.5 and 1.7 times respectively in comparison to pre-project harvests.
Other local residents got in on the act to see productivity for farmers in the region increase by 20 - 50 per cent.
The benefits of the sprinkler systems are great, according to Nguyen Thi Don, Head of the Extension Centre of Dinh Quan District.
"It’s not only economical but it also helps prevent crops from getting water-logged", Don said.
Another pilot project that has encouraged growth was a mist spraying sprinkler system installed in nethouses to water vegetables. The machine mediates watering and also creates a more temperate climate for the plants to grow.
According to one recipient, Nguyen Van Thuong, after 15 days productivity increased by 15 percent and watering time was shortened by 50 per cent.
Nguyen Thanh Vinh, Director of the Extension Centre of the province, praised the model for saving labour and electricity.
Other applications of modern technology in agriculture are being implemented across Xuan Loc District, according to Tran Anh Tuan, Vice President of the People’s Committee of the district.
Output results
Also on the up is Dong Nai Province’s processing industry which today has an annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes of sugar, approximately 12,000 tonnes of coffee and 400 million packs of cigarettes among others. Again, many laud the application of new technology as the key to their success.
One of many enterprises shifting to hi-tech production is Donafoods Company, which produces foodstuff and agriculture products for import and export. The company teamed up with the Southern Forestry Sub-Institute to select the best trees for cashew production. In addition to research, Donafoods set up a team to instruct farmers on appropriate planting and harvesting techniques.
The result is impressive: the province has recorded productivity of 1.7 tonnes per hectare, the highest in the country at the time.
The science role
Scientific projects are playing a major role in the boom by applying the latest growing methods to raise production.
One project, initiated in 2002 by the Agriculture Techniques Research Centre of Hung Loc District, focuses on intensive cultivation, crop rotation and animal husbandry. Implemented in three communes in the district the project focuses on boosting yields of cotton plants, green beans and cassava, plus integrating hybridised maize into other crops and raising silkworms. the project wrapped up in 2004.
Another project to develop the best grapefruit plants for intensive cultivation has reaped similar rewards with orchards increasing from a few hundred hectares to 1,450 hectares.
Between 2001 and 2005, the province had 36 rural agriculture research projects worth some VND35 billion (US$2.2 million), according to Pham Van Sang director of the Science and Technology Department of Dong Nai.
It’s thanks to these that some 19 plant species have been honed for production, new standards of livestock have been bred and some 49 performance models have been built to promote new cultivation procedures.
And residents are seeing the fruits of their labour in more ways than one, as increased production brings home bigger incomes.