Abandoned fields drop sharply, Hai Duong agriculture flourishes
Hai Duong - In recent years, agricultural production in Hai Duong has recorded many positive signals, especially the trend of a sharp decrease in abandoned fields.
Good news
According to statistics from the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Hai Duong province, in this year's Winter-Spring crop, the whole province has 2,408 households that left 128.8 hectares of agricultural land unplanted. Compared to the same period in 2024, the number of households and areas have decreased significantly - down 573 households and 45.1 hectares.
The main reason is that rice prices remain high and stable. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - a farmer in Tu Ky district - shared: "The price of rice has been stable for many years, even high for quality rice varieties. My family not only kept the fields but also rented them for planting, a total of nearly 8 sao. If you work more, you use a machine, save work, and make more profits".
Along with that, farming households take advantage of the opportunity to lease fields of households that no longer have farming needs, thereby expanding scale, making it convenient for Mechanization, reducing production costs and improving efficiency.
Kinh Mon town and Nam Sach district are two prominent localities without abandoned fields, thanks to policies to encourage people to maintain production. Meanwhile, Tu Ky district currently has the largest area of abandoned fields with 57.3 hectares, followed by Thanh Mien district with 27.1 hectares, Chi Linh city with 25.3 hectares and Ninh Giang district with 20 hectares. Binh Giang district has the least abandoned fields, only 0.5 hectares.
The reduction in abandoned agricultural land is a positive signal, showing a positive change in land use and farmers' attachment to rice production.
The proactiveness of the people combined with favorable market factors is creating an important change in rice production in Hai Duong. The increasingly decreasing area of abandoned fields not only contributes to ensuring food security but is also the basis for developing commodity agriculture, gradually building a modern and sustainable agriculture.
Practical policy
Not only relying on agricultural product prices, many localities in Hai Duong have proactively and synchronously implemented production support policies, thereby encouraging people to return to their fields. Typically, Nam Sach district - a locality that is considered to have basically ended the situation of abandoned fields.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Mac Van Tuan - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nam Sach district (Hai Duong province) - said that the situation of abandoned fields in the past stemmed from many causes, including unstable agricultural prices and low farming efficiency.
"Previously, rice prices only fluctuated from 1,500 to 7,000 VND/kg. But in recent years, the price has increased to 10,000 - 11,000 VND/kg, especially for high-quality rice varieties. Good prices make people more confident when investing in production" - Mr. Tuan said.
Not only relying on the market, Nam Sach district has issued a series of support mechanisms close to reality. The locality has supported people with funding to grow rice by machine, applying drones to spray pesticides to protect plants, helping to significantly reduce labor and costs.
Previously, the situation of rat damage caused great damage, but now, cooperatives have established synchronous and organized rat catching teams to help people feel secure in production.
Thanks to these policies, many households that had left their fields or rented them out voluntarily demanded their fields to continue farming.
The end of abandoned rice fields in Nam Sach district is not only a success of a locality, but also a valuable practical experience for rural areas in the province. When people are supported properly and sufficiently, when fields are invested properly, agricultural production will be effective and sustainable.
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