Japanese experts show how to raise income for Vietnamese farmers

Applying high technology to agricultural production and investment in processing technology to increase the value of agricultural products.

As one of more than 20 Japanese experts returned to the country to participate in "Connecting international scientific and technological information resources to commercialize research results between universities and businesses" by the Department of Information Science and technology news held in early May, Associate Professor Tran Dang Xuan, Head of the Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (Hiroshima University) suggested that in the field of agriculture, it is necessary to apply high technology to raise income for Vietnamese people. This way can on the one hand contribute to growth when high-tech agricultural products are contributing about 25% of the total value of agricultural products, on the other hand will limit the situation of farmers leaving the field due to low income.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that more and more farmers abandon fields to grow weeds. In 2011 in the provinces of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, there were more than 2,000 hectares of rice fields abandoned by the people and returned to the authorities; The number of farmers leaving fields is 6,040 households, the number of farmers paying fields is 2009.

The survey results of the research team at Can Tho University in late 2012 show that the average per capita income is 6.4 million dong, while the production expenditure is averaged VND 3.7 million. If comparing the income with the cost, the rice farmers only have 2 million VND. Each household can benefit from growing rice with an average area of ​​7.17 thousand m2, only 2.7 million VND / crop. Therefore, rice growers have to take labor to make profits. If it is estimated that 3 crops per year can be produced, the total annual average income of rice growers will not reach 10 million VND.

According to PGS Tran Dang Xuan, this situation can be improved by bringing high technology into agriculture. To do this, we must first invest in technology, science and technology, produce products with clear, clean, regional and international standards (Viet GAP, or Global GAP). It is necessary to attract more agricultural enterprises to directly invest in Vietnam, creating maximum conditions for these enterprises. The direct investment or shareholding with Vietnamese enterprises is the fastest way to help Vietnamese businesses get capital and technology, especially private enterprises.

In addition, there should be an expansion of direct cooperation in the agricultural sector among localities of countries with high-tech agricultural production such as Japan, Korea, Israel . with the localities of Vietnam, will help reduce time, cost, and improve efficiency.

Attract businesses to invest in agriculture to bring high-tech applications in Vietnam.

In 2017, the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishery in Vietnam to the country's GDP was 15.34%, but the population in this sector accounted for more than 40%. Currently, high-tech agricultural products, which contribute about 25% of the total agricultural value, show a significant opportunity for growth, but Professor Xuan said there are very few agricultural products of Vietnam. Men meet international standards and mainly export raw materials, have not achieved high value agricultural products, post-harvest processing technology, and technology is still poor.

"This will create a rich-poor disparity between rural and urban areas, between farmers and other classes, restrain Vietnam's development," Xuan said, emphasizing high-tech investment that will help reducing time, cost, and improving efficiency to increase income for farmers.

From the perspective of the people, the expert also suggested that Vietnamese farmers should work together to reduce small-scale production, carry out scale production, and create good products. When done, they will have no capital and technical limitations. These difficulties need to receive support from research agencies from central to local levels.

In Japan, agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP but nearly 10% of the Japanese population works in agriculture. So the Japanese government has great support, such as non-refundable, late payment of loans at zero cost, with agricultural insurance. Although this is currently causing a major delay in Japan's agricultural production (prices are too high, there is a lack of international competition). However, at the beginning, it will create momentum for farmers to stick with their work and balance their income.

By bringing high technology into agricultural production, through strong privatization, calling for more investment in the agricultural sector, Vietnam will have a great competition in the international market for agricultural products, as well as consumption in the domestic market with increasing demand. That will help farmers increase their income even further.

Assoc. Dr. Tran Dang Xuan is a Vietnamese scientist who lives and works in Japan. Currently he works in the field of research mainly on plant breeding, genetics, weed science, sustainable agricultural production, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biomass energy .

He has more than 110 works published in international scientific journals in the ISI catalog and 130 articles in the Scopus catalog, with an H-index of 24.

He is one of 100 young Vietnamese scientists in foreign countries participating in the Innovation Program organized by the Government of Vietnam, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Planning and Investment in August 2018 at Vietnam.