Biotechnology Application to Agricultural Production in Dong Nai

 * The breakthrough by biotech application

    The application of biotech to agriculture in Dong Nai is currently focusing on key areas such as Genetic Modification to bring the best traits to crop varieties and animal breeds in order to create new high yield, drought and pest resistant ones. Besides, some biologicals used to accelerate the growth of crops and animals, and cut down environmental pollutions to produce products meeting quality standards have been created.

    A good number of farmers have applied biotech to farming, animal husbandry, making high cost- effective. For example, new varieties with high yield, pest resistance, biologicals to control pests, stimulate trees to flower early, produce much fruit and yield output of one and a half to four times higher than traditional processes are used. Suoi Lon Mango Cooperative (Xuan Loc district) is typical firm that applies biotech helping plants produce out-of-season fruits, pricing two times higher. Trang Dai Vegetable Cooperative (Bien Hoa city) has used biotech products shorten the time taking care of vegetables by almost one week while still making high yields. Many farmers in Xuan Loc, Cam My, Tan Phu, etc. have made use of Trichoderma biological for pepper and applied technical advancements to raise output to six to10 tons per hectare.

    "I has grown one and a half hectares of pepper that yielded more than two tons per hectare in previous years,” said Mr. Tran Huu Thang Tho Loc hamlet, Xuan Tho (Xuan Loc district). “In 2007, I starting using Trichoderma and applying technical methods to plants and yields have reached 10 tons per hectare for three years, increasing the profit by four times."

    In Xuan Loc, Tan Phu and Cam My districts, most of the farmers have introduced new varieties, biological products to cultivating corn, so the output of winter-spring crop reaches 10 to13 tons per hectare, two to two and a half times higher than the traditional farming methods. In addition, for other crops such as rice, vegetables, beans, fruit-inducing plants, etc., farmers are gradually moving to new varieties and using biologicals to lower costs and boost productivity.

    In addition to farming, the majority of farmers apply biotech to pigs and cows by using artificial insemination to produce cattle with higher lean meat rate. Currently, most of the cows in the province are artificially inseminated, which helps a mature cow weigh 250 to 280 kg, up by 70 to100 kg per cow while meat rate up is by one and a half times.

    Biotechnology is also applied to brew, process foodstuff for animal and poultry; use agricultural wastes, animal wastes as organic fertilizers to reduce costs, raise profits.

* A long-term solution

    Dong Nai farmers are well implemented the biotech application to agricultural production, but many cannot find any interest in it. Therefore, on the same area with similar crop and similar soil qualities, while some households gain a few hundred million dongs in annual net profit, other just add some tens of million dongs to their income. For example, in winter-spring corn crop, those who used new varieties and biologicals such as bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticide have yields up to 10 to 13 tons per hectare, but only five to seven tons per hectare for those who merely utilize chemical fertilizers, pesticides, which causes high input costs.

    Mr. Tran Son Hai, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, said: "Due to the impact of climate change, the weather is becoming more extreme, so the application of biotechnology to production represents a long-term and most effective solution. It is new drought and pest resistant varieties that can help farmers boost productivity.

    “Every year the center often cooperates with towns, districts to hold hundreds of demo models of new varieties and of new biologicals applications to production, and then organizes workshops for by farmers across the province to study and exchange experience. As results, crop productivity is gradually improved and farm product quality is guaranteed," he added.

    As Vietnam’s accession to WTO, the domestic prices of agricultural products greatly depends on the world market and quality of farm products and food are always on consumer’s top priority. For that reason, in order to sell the products from breeding and horticulture, farmers have to apply biotech to cut down costs and ensure product quality.

L.H (Dong Nai NewsPaper)