Farmers convert to digital for integration

With the advantage of being in the most dynamic industrial province in the country, Dong Nai farmers have many unique investment models in agricultural production because of many highly effective initiatives and innovations.

Owner of Quan Phat Honey Facility (Dau Giay Commune) Le Loc Quan introduces the model of beehive farming for high economic efficiency. Photo: B. Nguyen

After the merger, Dong Nai province has a large area, a large population, and is among the top in the country with a large proportion of farmers in the total population, and the role of farmers in production development is increasingly important. In the context of integration, traditional farmers must change to become more professional and intelligent, know how to apply science and technology and closely link with businesses, cooperatives, etc.

Proud to be an excellent farmer

Recently, on behalf of the Central Standing Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union , Comrade Luong Quoc Doan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union, Head of the Steering Committee of the Program Pride of Vietnamese Farmers in 2025 signed a decision to recognize outstanding Vietnamese farmers in 2025. Among them, Mr. Le Loc Quan, owner of Quan Phat Honey Establishment (Dau Giay commune) is one of two farmers in Dong Nai province honored to receive the title "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer in 2025". This is not only the personal story of the above farmers but also an affirmation of the role and position of the peasant class in the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country.

Sharing his success story, Mr. Le Loc Quan recalled: After the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's honey exports faced great difficulties when the consumer market stagnated. In particular, at this time, the beekeeping industry faced a major crisis when the United States launched an anti-dumping investigation on Vietnamese honey products and applied high taxes on this product. In addition, honey-importing countries applied trade defense measures and increased technical barriers, causing honey prices to drop sharply but still making it difficult to sell.

At the scientific conference with the theme of Vietnamese farmers - from traditional to professional and smart, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam emphasized: We must build the image of farmers in a professional manner, knowing how to apply science and technology and closely linking with businesses, cooperatives... Besides, there should be appropriate policy mechanisms to develop jobs for farmers such as: supporting vocational training linked to market demand and digital transformation in agriculture, combined with encouraging production linkages along the value chain, strengthening agricultural extension activities and improving rural infrastructure.

Through research, Mr. Quan learned about raising honeycombs, a high-class honey product that is popular in many countries around the world. Even in difficult times, Mr. Quan still boldly converted, becoming a pioneer in making honeycombs in Dong Nai province.

Since then, Quan Phat Honey Facility has successfully exported honeycomb products to the Korean market and some European countries, earning high profits because the export price of honeycomb is 3-4 times higher than that of traditional honey. In particular, the demand of the domestic and export markets for this specialty honey is still very large, so Quan Phat Honey Facility has cooperated with many beekeeping households, transferring farming techniques and consuming products for them. Quan Phat Honey Facility also diversifies other honey products such as: traditional honey, pollen, royal jelly, refined sugar from honey... The facility focuses on branding and building a brand for the product. Currently, the facility has 2 products that have achieved OCOP certification: centrifuged honey and honeycomb.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khon, Head of the Association of Farmers of the medicinal plant Xao Tam Phan (Hung Thinh commune) is the only farmer in Dong Nai province to be honored as an Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer in 2024. He is also the Director of ETZ Medicinal Materials Investment Joint Stock Company, specializing in investing in deep processing of products from the medicinal plant Xao Tam Phan.

Xao tam phan is a semi-desert plant, often growing wild in the mountainous areas of the Central region. When China paid a high price to buy Xao tam phan, people competed to exploit it, putting this precious medicinal plant at risk of extinction. Originally a telecommunications engineer, the turning point for Mr. Khon to become a farmer growing and processing products from Xao tam phan was because someone in his family had cancer. In 2011, he accidentally learned about the "miracle drug" Xao tam phan through an article and used this plant to support cancer treatment. His family member was lucky to recover from the disease. From then on, he learned more about the precious medicinal plant Xao tam phan.

In parallel with investing in raw material areas, Mr. Khon also cooperated in investing in research and processing products from the medicinal herb xao tam phan. Currently, ETZ Medicinal Materials Investment Joint Stock Company has developed 5 product lines, including 2 health protection products and 3 regular products. Of which, 2 products Phuc Hung Long Essential and Phuc Hung Long Premium have achieved 5-star OCOP certification.

Forming a class of "digital" farmers

The story of Dong Nai farmers honored as Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers is proof that farmers can completely master technology, innovate and bring agricultural products to the world, contributing to the overall economic development of the province and the country.

After the merger, Dong Nai province has 95 association bases, more than 1,800 branches and nearly 192,100 farmer members. In the context of the country continuing to promote the revolution of streamlining the organizational apparatus, aiming for high efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency; at the same time with the explosion of science - technology, innovation and strong digital transformation... have created a great driving force to promote growth. This is an opportunity for Dong Nai in particular and the country in general to break through, entering an era of prosperous development, including the farmer team.

According to Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Farmers' Association Nguyen Van Giang, to meet the requirements in the new situation, the Provincial Farmers' Association is focusing on building a team of association officials at all levels, especially key officials to ensure continuity, inheritance and development. In the new period, the Provincial Farmers' Association will strengthen the staff at the grassroots level, in difficult areas, remote areas, key areas, where new models are deployed to challenge, train and improve the political mettle and comprehensive leadership capacity of officials.

The Provincial Farmers' Association also continues to innovate, improve the quality and effectiveness of the movement, create qualitative changes, and create a driving force to promote strong shifts in the structure of crops and livestock. At the same time, change farmers' thinking from agricultural production to agricultural economic thinking, creating large-scale specialized agricultural commodity areas with high quality, economic value and strong competitiveness in the domestic and export markets.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Dong, Principal of the School of Public Policy and Rural Development, farmers are at the center of the transformation and need to be given the opportunity to develop their intelligence, initiatives, and make practical contributions to the process of sustainable agricultural development. Farmers are not only the direct producers of agricultural products but also the subjects participating in the entire agricultural value chain, from production, processing to consumption. When equipped with knowledge, management skills and the ability to apply science and technology, farmers will become a key factor in the process of agricultural modernization.

One of the solutions in building a team of farmers towards professionalism is to have preferential policies and support in unsecured loans, in applying new varieties, new technologies, being selected to participate in pilot agricultural extension programs, technology transfer, production according to value chains, etc.

Binh Nguyen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202510/nong-dan-chuyen-doi-so-de-hoi-nhap-7ea653c/