From a purely agricultural area, after a period of restructuring, Tri Luc and many other localities in the province of Cà Mau have pinned their hopes on shrimps. Although an area is planned for the simultaneous production of rice and shrimp, for a long time the farmers were not interested in growing rice…
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| Tri Luc’s rice is the pride of the Tri Luc Commune |
| Photo : CTV/CVN |
Consequently, the monoculture of shrimp does not bring the expected returns for the farmers, due to the incessant climatic changes. Some are boldly reviving rice cultivation on shrimp farming areas and this is showing positive effects. In 2016, Tri Luc had restored the rice-shrimp crop rotation in almost the entire production area. This is the best choice for Tri Luc in his development journey.
Hà Minh Sua, vice-president of Tri Luc commune, said: “The rice-shrimp field model is appreciated, but we still need to make changes to have a breakthrough and sustainability of agricultural production”. Indeed, % of farmers choose high quality rice varieties ST24 and ST25, produced according to clean rice standards. In particular, out of 300 ha of local organic rice, 120 ha have been recognized as complying with strict European standards, corresponding to the birth of the Tri Luc agricultural cooperative.
Lê Van Mua, chairman of the board, director of the Tri Luc agricultural cooperative, said: “The cooperative has linked up with more than 450 farming households, representing around 600 ha of clean rice fields. The rice is sold at the contractual price of the partner, Sarl d’Alimentation Tân Vuong (An Giang)”.
Ha Minh Sua a jouté : “The local cooperatives, Tri Luc and Doan Phat, have played a big role in organizing the local production chain. On average, Tri Luc’s total annual rice production is around 10,000 tons, all covered by contracts with major partners and stable prices.“.
Not stopping there, the rice of the Tri Luc commune is at the OCOP standard (to each commune its own product) 3 stars in 2020. According to Mr. Mua, the Hoàng Yên rice brand has firmly established itself in the national market. . The next plan of the Tri Luc cooperative is to soon launch the clean rice of Hoàng Yên on the international market.
Currently, a Thai partner has looked into the matter and offered contractual conditions for Hoàng Yên rice to be exported. “Very good, and so, Hoang Yên rice is not only clean rice but soon organic rice, not only consumed by Vietnamese but also by foreigners“, Mr. Mua added.
Create a brand for shrimp
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| Tri Luc’s giant freshwater prawns meet international standards. |
| Photo : CTV/CVN |
With rice moving in a promising direction, improving the value of jumbo freshwater prawns is the second area Tri Luc is actively working on. The actual area under which giant freshwater prawns are farmed in the rice fields is more than 2,400 ha. The average productivity is around 1,000 tons/year. However, in the market, the price of giant freshwater shrimp remains a difficult problem for farmers.
Mr Sua said: “Shrimp is not sold through fixed price contracts, prices fluctuate depending on the market, so the question is how to improve value, ensure production and profit for farmers“. As a result, the prawn sector of Tri Luc, especially giant freshwater prawns, is working towards obtaining European ASC certification with the support of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation. It is expected that in the first phase , Tri Luc will have its own shrimp farming area of 550 ha. At the same time, the municipality is piloting a large-scale giant freshwater shrimp farming model, allowing the farming of freshwater shrimp throughout the the year.
For the future of the giant freshwater prawn, the Tri Luc cooperative will negotiate on the production market. From the first days of this year’s harvest, a delegation of Korean partners visited the giant freshwater prawn area of Tri Luc to learn about the market and sign contracts. What interests the Korean partner is whether the giant freshwater prawn here is clean, whether the export conditions are guaranteed, whether the raw material area has a stable production.
However, with the request from the Korean partner to provide a continuous supply of more than 20 tons/month, and the size of the giant freshwater prawns of 10 to 15 prawns/kg, the Tri Luc cooperative has found that it cannot not respond to Korean orders due to local production conditions which remain limited.
Mr. Mua shared, “It is a suggestion for our farmers to organize production more appropriately and professionally if they want to seize great opportunities. In the immediate term, the Tri Luc cooperative will promote promotion and find the appropriate market for the current production of giant freshwater prawns. Hopefully, giant freshwater prawns will soon be like rice, reaching more and more market, bringing higher income for people.”
Tri Luc has become an inspiring place for the sustainable agricultural development model of Cà Mau. In particular, its orientation is to establish clean production, clean agricultural products and value-added chains.
Quang Chau/CVN