Agricultural restructuring in HCM City’s outlying districts has been successful in the last few years, according to the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development*

The city’s agricultural sector over the last 10 months posted VND1.87 trillion (US$116 million) in agricultural value, an increase of 2.5 per cent over the same period last year.

The city has encouraged local farmers to shift from low-yielding rice farming to more profitable crops, such as organic vegetables, flowers and bonsai, and to aquaculture and livestock breeding.

By applying advanced farming techniques, the city has helped farmers extend organic vegetable cultivation to 1,800ha, bonsai to1,200ha, and grasslands to 2,400ha for dairy cow breeding.

The livestock breeding sector has also seen progress, and ornamental fish breeding has earned an export value of US$1.65 million.Fish and shrimp breeding has helped farmers earn an income twice that of rice cultivation.

New trades such as crocodile and python breeding have developed rapidly with a population of 123,000 crocodiles, an increase of 58.9 per cent compared with last year. Export earnings from crocodile skins have reached US$1 million, and python skins, US$3 million.

The city government has provided capital to improve farmers’ agricultural productivity and quality, which is expected to help increase agricultural value by seven per cent in the next two years.

In the last 10 months, the city has provided bank loans totalling VND481.7 billion for 4,417 farm households for agricultural restructuring. Deputy chairman of HCM City’s People’s Committee, Nguyen Trung Tin, said the city would also seek investment from the private sector to develop sustainable agriculture.

Investment in rural infrastructure such as irrigation works, rural roads, electricity and water supply, are also needed. Upgrading environmental sanitation and education and health facilities, and exempting farmers from fees on irrigation works and flood prevention projects are in the pipeline.