Under the program of building new rural areas, farmers in Tien Le Commune, Hoai Duc District of Hanoi have developed intensive farming fields to grow safe vegetables which can supply 15 tonnes of vegetables/day for consumers.
But things have changed since the program of new rural construction was implemented in the commune. Nguyen Khac Dao, a local farmer said: “In 2010, we enjoyed a bumper vegetable crop, but were faced with decreasing prices. Due to cheap prices, many villagers did not want to harvest the produce and even let them go to waste in the fields. We were so sad, thinking that we already reached a dead end and would have no way to survive. However, the local authorities and those from the Hanoi Department for Agriculture and Rural Development told us about the program to build new rural areas, under which we should re-zone the fields for growing vegetables to supply to supermarkets in Hanoi. We were so happy to hear that and decided to follow the program.”
To support the local farmers, the Hanoi Department for Agriculture and Rural Development built a 3ha-large green house for the farmers’ vegetable growing and an 8km-long concrete-paved road that made it convenient for their transportation during rainy days. In addition, the department organised more than 20 training courses to instruct the villagers with techniques on vegetable growing, including watering, spraying fertilizers and harvesting the products, all meeting the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGap) standards.
Walking on the dyke surrounding Tien Le Commune, we saw vast green vegetable fields. According to Nguyen Van Hao, Chairman of Tien Le Agriculture Cooperative, since 2010, more than 16 billion dong were invested in building the local infrastructure that supported the farmers’ vegetable growing.
“Right now we are busy to harvest mustard, which we will sell at 15,000 VND per kilo, a rather good price, so the villagers are very happy,” said the co-op chairman.
In a nearby field, Khuat Hoang Hung, a technician from the Hanoi Plant Protection Department, was instructing some farmers on how to use the flora protection chemicals in a correct way.
Hung said that every week, the department sent its technicians to help local farmers in using the chemicals correctly and that’s why now they know all the steps and can implement them properly.
“We continue to help the farmers in using the plant protection chemicals properly, check the origin of the chemicals and quality of vegetables, and prepare plans to fight new kinds of insects if they appear,” Hung said.
According to local statistics, in 2010 there were nearly 600 households growing vegetables, and the number rose to more than 800 households in 2014.
Formerly, many villagers gave up growing vegetables due to unstable income, but now they have joined in the business because they received more support from the relevant agencies. To date, many families in Tien Le Commune own large vegetable farms, each covering an area of nearly 0.25ha. They are typical examples for the success of the program of new rural construction implemented in Tien Le Commune, the largest intensive safe vegetable growing zone in Hanoi.
Story: Thong Thien - Photos: Tran Thanh Giang