Lam Dong province to expand organic farming

ABO/NDO- The Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Lam Dong plans to increase the area of farms with organic standard certification by 575ha this year.

They are under vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee, cashew, and mushrooms, mostly in the cities of Da Lat and Bao Loc and districts of Lac Duong, Don Duong, Duc Trong, Lam Ha, and Da Teh, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Lam Dong also aims to raise another 150 heads of cattle this year to produce 18 tonnes of organic beef, 500 others to produce 1,250 tonnes of organic milk annually and 9,000 chickens to produce 1.44 million organic eggs.

It will offer training to farmers, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and businesses in organic farming techniques, and develop two organic farming models for tea and breeding chickens for eggs.

Farmers grow vegetables under contracts with corporate buyers in Lam Dong province’s Don Duong district. (Photo: VNA).

It will develop brand names for and promote organic agricultural products, and create linkages among stakeholders producing them.

It is expected to earmark 1.9 billion VND (800,000 USD) this year for all this.

Lam Dong is the country’s leading province in hi-tech farming and its agricultural products are well-known domestically and exported.

It has 300,000ha of farms where coffee, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and others are grown.

It has extensive hi-tech farming areas but little for organic farming, according to the department.

Three years into its 2020-2025 organic agriculture development plan, the province has created 13 farming models for asparagus, durian, rice, coffee, macadamia, shiitake mushroom, water chestnut, root vegetables, artichoke, and beef.

It had 1,311ha of certified organic farming areas as of the middle of last year. The province has trained nearly 900 farmers.

(Source: NDO)