Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ngo Cong Thuc stated that An Giang province has a large agricultural production area with diverse crops suitable for promoting crop and livestock transformation; a complete and synchronized irrigation system and infrastructure; strong application of science and technology; and the promotion of attracting businesses to integrate within the ecosystem. Only in this way can we boost added value, increase people's income, and especially help to innovate thinking towards sustainable agricultural economy, circular economy.

Regarding the province's orientation, the 354,000 hectares already approved by the Provincial People's Committee in the High-Yield, High-Quality Rice Cultivation Planning Project for the period 2025-2030 cannot be converted. Therefore, the province will focus on the remaining area of approximately 136,000 hectares, adopting flexible production methods based on market demands, in order to increase income for the people.

To effectively implement the restructuring of crop and livestock production in the coming period, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ngo Cong Thuc requested relevant departments, agencies, and localities to research and advise the Provincial People's Committee on an annual restructuring roadmap; issue mechanisms and policies to promote the restructuring of crop production; and advise the Provincial People's Committee to propose to the central government the issuance of mechanisms, policies, and resources to support the development of cooperatives, including agricultural cooperatives.

The province is focusing on reviewing and assessing the current state of infrastructure in the transitional zones, renovating and repairing it to improve its effectiveness in irrigation; reviewing the entire pumping station system to ensure smooth operation for irrigation; and advising on a roadmap for converting from oil-powered pumping stations to electric pumping stations to optimize production costs.

Regarding production linkages, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ngo Cong Thuc directed specialized departments and functional agencies to urgently coordinate in developing model contracts for production linkages between cooperatives and enterprises, ensuring strong legal compliance, harmonizing interests, and sharing risks among participating parties; creating conditions for eligible enterprises and cooperatives to access credit packages for production organization, and building sufficiently large raw material areas to connect and sign agreements between enterprises and domestic and foreign partners.

In addition, they should strengthen market management and specialized inspections; strictly handle acts of speculation, hoarding, and illegally raising the prices of agricultural supplies; proactively propose plans to promote consumption and expand markets when there are unfavorable signals from global economic fluctuations.

The province prioritizes the approval of research projects and applications of digital transformation and post-harvest preservation technologies for various sectors, promoting research and application of advanced science and technology in the production of vegetables, fruits, and aquatic products; prioritizing research in the field of deep processing to enhance the value of vegetables, fruits, and aquatic products; and promoting the transfer of advanced technologies and production processes such as GAP, VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic farming... to help farmers adapt to climate change and reduce production costs.

"In the context of developing green and clean agricultural production to meet global demands, close coordination between all levels and sectors is required to ensure smooth implementation of tasks, helping the collective economic sector develop, agriculture develop, and shift from a traditional agricultural production mindset to a green and clean agricultural economic mindset to meet future development goals," emphasized Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ngo Cong Thuc.

According to Mr. Tran Thanh Hiep, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, An Giang province has achieved many important accomplishments in the restructuring of crop production over the past years. More than 26,000 hectares of low-yield rice land have been converted to growing vegetables, fruit trees, and aquaculture, helping to increase farmers' income by 3-5 times compared to before. Many localities have far exceeded their planned targets, affirming the determination and creativity in agricultural production.

In the process of agricultural development, An Giang has proactively transformed its growth model to more effectively exploit its land potential. The transformation of crop structure not only helps increase production value per unit area but also enhances land turnover efficiency, maximizing time and resources to create multiple harvests per year.

As a result, agricultural land is utilized rationally and rotated appropriately with vegetables, fruit trees, and other high-value crops. Each land rotation becomes a profitable cycle, helping farmers increase their income many times over, while creating an abundant supply of agricultural products for both domestic and export markets. An Giang has also become a province with diverse agricultural sectors such as rice, vegetables, fruit trees, and aquaculture.

However, alongside the advantages, An Giang's crop restructuring efforts also face several difficulties and obstacles, such as: many households are converting crops spontaneously, lacking synchronized planning, making it difficult to form concentrated production areas; the irrigation and drainage system is not yet fully developed and does not meet the requirements of diverse crops; connections with businesses and cooperatives are limited, resulting in unsustainable product outlets; processing and preservation stages are not developed in proportion to the province's potential and advantages, leading to limited added value for products; and adverse impacts on crop yield and quality, posing risks to farmers.

"In the coming period, An Giang will focus on implementing effective solutions to transform the structure of crops and livestock on the remaining area of approximately 136,000 hectares towards flexible production according to market demands, in order to best utilize the economic efficiency of the province's remaining untapped potential, helping An Giang achieve breakthroughs in key industries," Mr. Hiep added.

News by Nhu Ngoc

Translator: Thi Huynh