The Northern Mountainous regions of Vietnam, known for their diverse landscapes and agricultural potential, are increasingly focusing on the development of Vietnamese soybean as a commodity crop.
The Northern Mountainous regions of Vietnam offer favorable conditions for soybean cultivation. The temperate climate, coupled with fertile soils and suitable rainfall patterns, provides a conducive environment for the successful growth of soybeans. Additionally, the topographical diversity allows for the adaptation of various soybean varieties to different microclimate and soil types.
Introduction to the Northern midland and mountainous region.
The Northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam in the period before 1954 was called the Midland and Upland, this is the mountainous and semi-mountainous area in the North of Vietnam.
Administratively, this region includes the northern provinces: Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Quang Ninh along with 21 districts and a town to the west of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces.
The center of this region is Thai Nguyen city, Viet Tri city. According to the industrial zone planning of the Government of Vietnam to 2020, the northern midland and mountainous region is located in area 1. The total area of the Northern Midlands and mountainous region is 101,000 km2, accounting for 30.5% of the area. The whole country has over 12 million people (in 2006), accounting for 14.2% of the national population.
Natural conditions and natural resources are suitable for Vietnamese soybean cultivation.
The demand for soybeans in Vietnam, both for domestic consumption and industrial use, continues to rise. As a result, soybean cultivation in the Northern Mountainous regions plays a vital role in meeting this demand and reducing the country's reliance on imports. Additionally, soybean cultivation supports the growth of related industries, such as food processing and livestock farming, thus stimulating local economies.
The northern mountainous area has planted about 50,000 - 60,000 hectares of soybeans. In which, concentrated in the provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Son La... and grown mainly in the spring and summer-autumn crops on upland fields. Ha Giang province alone cultivated nearly 24,000 hectares, with an average yield of 13 quintals/hectare, with an estimated output of more than 30,000 tons, leading the country in terms of soybean area and production.
What to do to reduce imports and increase domestic soybean exports?
It is worth mentioning that the area and production of soybeans in the whole country are on a decreasing trend while the yield is almost unchanged, averaging 14.3 quintals/hectare, while the amount of soybeans to be purchased from the country. outside increases year by year.
It is necessary to accelerate the increase of acreage, application of scientific and technical advances to increase productivity, quality, and production by commodity scale.
Especially, for the second largest soybean production area in the country, concentrated in the northern mountainous provinces such as Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Son La, etc., it is necessary to exploit the flatlands and areas. high land specialized in growing crops, the Midlands has a soybean growing system to grow two crops of spring and summer - autumn; selecting the same suitable for each task, each ecological region, combining the selection and application of short- and long-day equivalents for high performance; develop a detailed farming process for each crop and each production area in the direction of meeting the requirements of the plant, reducing production costs, especially in terms of seeds and plant protection drugs.
Facing the low mountains of Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh and Bac Giang provinces, it is necessary to expand the area of frozen soybeans on the mainland with minimal tillage techniques to take advantage of the seasonality and reduce costs. labor labor;
Compared with the highland provinces of the Northwest and Northeast, along with expanding the planting of spring soybeans on the land of a summer rice crop and summer-autumn soybeans on upland fields, it is necessary to intercrop soybean, maize, cassava, sugarcane and long-term industrial crops such as rubber, coffee, tea, etc., thus contributing to the transformation of cropping structure, improving productivity and soybean output of the region.
The Northern Mountainous regions of Vietnam possess the agricultural potential and favorable conditions to develop soybeans as a commodity crop. By harnessing this potential and addressing the associated challenges through knowledge transfer, infrastructure development, market access, and research advancements, these regions can contribute to the overall growth of the soybean industry in Vietnam. The development of soybeans as a commodity crop not only offers economic benefits but also plays a vital role in enhancing food security, reducing import dependency, and improving the livelihoods of farmers in these regions.