Binh Thuan (VNA) – Accelerating agricultural restructuring towards national-scale,high-tech production has become a key goal for the central coastal province ofBinh Thuan as it aims to reach an average 3.3-3.8 percent annual growth for itsagro-forestry-fishery sector during the 2018-2020 period.

During the three-year period, labour productivity is planned to increase 3.5-4percent per year, while exports of farm produce and seafood products areexpected to reach 195 million USD annually.

Due attention will be given to developing agricultural products which have hugecompetitive edges such as dragon fruit, rubber, breeding shrimp, and processed seafood.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,the quality of local dragon fruit has been significantly improved in recentyears. In the end of 2017, more than 9,500ha of dragon fruit were grantedVietGAP certificates and thus qualified to enter markets in India, New Zealand,Chile, and Australia.

In the time to come, intensive farming will be applied to the cultivation ofdragon fruit, meanwhile large-scale production systems will be formed and valuechains will be branched out in the locality.

Besides mobilising resources to enhance off-shore fishing, the province will alsoinvest heavily in requisite logistic services systems, such as preliminaryprocessing, and search and rescue information systems; as well as reduce thenumber of fishing vessels which run high risk of violating foreign waters anddamaging the environment.

Additionally, the province is also looking to form a dense high-tech aquaticbreeding zone in Tuy Phong district, and will pay due attention to transferringtechnology to local farmers so as to improve the productivity and quality ofkey staples like prawns and white-leg shrimp in coastal areas and Phu Quyisland.

It will accelerate the establishment of a 2,000ha hi-tech agricultural zone inBac Binh district in companion with attracting investors who hold huge technologicalpotential.

During the period, agricultural restructuring will be made in tandem withbuilding new-style rural areas, with 60 percent of communes targeted to becomenew-style rural areas by 2020.

After five years of carrying out the “Restructuring Agriculture Towards IncreasingAdded Value and Sustainable Development” project, the province has enjoyedstable agricultural production. It is now home to 212 husbandry facilities andhas attracted large-scale raising projects like its grass planting, dairy-cowfarming, and milk processing projects in Bac Binh district, as well as ahigh-tech agricultural project in Tuy Phong district.

Last year, the total output of breeding shrimp were 24 billion, up 37 percentfrom the amount in 2013.–VNA