Accelerating the implementation of the agriculture project utilizing Israeli technology in Vietnam

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - On the afternoon of April 17th, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Vo Van Phi, chaired a working session with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant departments, and localities to discuss the progress and challenges in implementing the agriculture project utilizing Israeli technology. ​

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Van Phi chaired the meeting  

The High-Tech Agriculture Project, which focuses on the sustainable development of agriculture using Israeli technology in Dong Nai province until 2025, with a vision towards 2030, was approved by the Provincial People's Committee at the end of 2020. According to the project, in the period from 2021 to 2025, the province has successfully established 14 high-tech agriculture models, including products such as Hass avocados, yellow-skinned dragon fruit, MD2 pineapple, calamansi lime, South American bananas, black pepper, pomelo, mango, mangosteen, rambutan, durian, and vegetables.

However, there have been difficulties and obstacles during the implementation process, causing delays in the project's timeline and plans. Encouraging farmers to register for the Israeli high-tech agriculture pilot program has proven challenging due to the requirement for newly planted and pure crops. However, for certain crops such as black pepper, rambutan, and mango, the profitability during the implementation period is not high enough to incentivize farmers to plant new crops. Furthermore, there is currently no specific policy to support the adoption of Israeli technology in production, considering the high initial investment costs. Economic and technical standards for high-tech agriculture models have not been issued by the central authority, and there is a lack of Israeli agricultural experts to transfer technology to each model according to the project's objectives. 

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Local representatives reported at the working session 

Nevertheless, Dong Nai has attracted investments from businesses and farmers into high-tech agriculture. The proportion of high-tech agriculture in the total GRDP of the sector is estimated to reach 34% (equivalent to 27 trillion VND). Currently, there are 203 high-tech agriculture models in the province owned by businesses, cooperatives, and individual farmers. Based on the analysis and evaluation of land conditions and water resources related to the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has cooperated with relevant departments and localities to propose the planning of 303 concentrated production areas covering an area of nearly 95,700 hectares, 10 high-tech agriculture areas covering nearly 11,900 hectares, and 8 organic agriculture areas with a scale of nearly 19,400 hectares. This will serve as the basis for the province to prioritize resource allocation to improve production infrastructure and attract investments in the future.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Vo Van Phi, suggested that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development adhere to the five tasks outlined in the project and begin immediate implementation by proactively working with localities in April. Attention should be given to monitoring, urging, and inspecting the chosen pilot models. Departments, sectors, and localities should focus on selecting models that have been successful in learning and studying Israeli high-tech agriculture, effective supply chain models, models associated with specialized cultivation areas with designated region codes, and models linked to the development of local agricultural products under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program and local brand recognition.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development should conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the economic effectiveness of the models that have been achieved, including the number of visitors to these models. In particular, attention should be given to communication activities, and there should be a focus on training and enhancing the capacity of the workforce through study tours and learning about new models both domestically and internationally. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development should review the selection of locations, establish investment standards for seed gardens, and establish agricultural information centers. ​​