Mekong Delta promotes digital transformation in agriculture

A workshop on digital transformation and supply chain in agriculture takes place in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on December 21 on the sidelines of the 2020 Mekong Connect Forum. (Photo: VNA)

The event was intended to seek ways to help products and services made in the Mekong Delta enter the global supply chain.

It saw speakers, who were business leaders, policymakers and researchers, discussing opportunities and challenges as well as specific solutions to facilitate digital transformation in agriculture and sustainable agricultural development in the region.

They also exchanged views on how to make the processing sector a base for the growth of smart farming and to restructure the agriculture in association with the development of green economy, circular economy and digital economy, and the application of advanced technologies in production.

Digital transformation in agriculture must start from farmers, said Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuc, member of the executive committee of the Vietnam Digital Agriculture Association, adding that it requires the digitalization of agricultural production input and workforce to develop database for the process.

In supply chains, each “farmer” must be a “trader” who understands the market and stakeholders of the chains need to regularly exchange with each other to maintain sustainable and long-term cooperation, Thuc said. She has been working with farmers to develop an agricultural e-Journal, create QR codes and promote traceability of origins and geographical indication (GIs).

All provincial departments, agencies and local administrations in the region must become engaged in digital transformation in agriculture to ensure the transparency of the market, said Dr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority. Producers should also develop technologies relevant to each locality’s conditions and commercialise technological products, he suggested.

He also emphasised that farmers must be key players contributing greatly to the success of digital transformation in agriculture.

Dong Thap has seen a transition from agricultural production to agricultural economy in which local farmers have boasted closer linkages with experts, scientists and distributors in order to improve the effectiveness of the value chains of local agricultural and fishery products.

Additionally, the province has adopted incentives to attract foreign direct investment into agriculture and developed a strategy for digital transformation with focus on three pillars of e-Government, e-Economy and e-Society.

The province and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture took the occasion to sign a memorandum of understanding on five-year coordination in formulating a agricultural development strategy for Dong Thap by 2030, with a vision towards 2050, and another on a project to develop green agriculture in the province and help it improve added value and adapt to climate change./.

VNA