3 key product groups 'pave the way’' for investment in Hue

In recent times, as a locality with agricultural development potential, Hue City has made efforts to promote investment in agriculture and rural areas, attracting major enterprises. A notable investor in Hue is Que Lam Group, a national leader in organic and circular agriculture, which drives investment and the development of organic linkage chains.

In 2019, the Hue City People's Committee and Que Lam Group signed an investment agreement to expand the production, processing, and consumption of organic agricultural products. Since then, a 4F organic, biosecure pig farming complex has been established in Hue, with dozens of participating households and cooperatives, reaching a total herd of around 400 sows and 8,000 breeding pigs and porkers.

The city has also developed organic rice production models according to value chains with an area of over 500 hectares and set up organic Thanh Tra pomelo cooperatives. Maize and soybean production linkages across communes and wards have also been formed to serve as raw material for feed production, creating a closed cycle that ensures proactive supply for animal feed processing plants. In addition, a network of Que Lam organic agricultural product supermarkets has been launched.

Mr. Ho Van Trinh in Pi Ay hamlet, A Luoi 2 commune, shared that since 2021, with the coordination of local government and support from Que Lam Group, 70 households in Pi Ay have adopted the organic maize production model using the VN10 corn variety on the riparian land along the Ta Rinh River. Around 8 hectares have been put into production, yielding nearly 100 tons of maize annually. "For A Luoi farmers, organic agriculture is no longer a distant concept but a practical solution that harmonizes environmental concerns with sustainable economic benefits," he said.

According to the Hue Department of Agriculture and Environment, the locality consistently pays attention to promoting investment in agriculture and rural areas, creating a fair and favorable competitive environment to attract economic components to invest in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, rural development, and the "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program.

Besides, the city has also issued policies to support agricultural production, focusing on high-tech agricultural development and prioritizing three key product groups, including products listed as national key items (rice, shrimp, pork, poultry meat and eggs, fruits and vegetables, wood and wooden products); city-level key products (fish and shrimp from the Tam Giang–Cau Hai Lagoon, high-quality rice, and Thanh tra pomelo); and specialty products with local value and advantages tied to the OCOP program. The city also promotes the application of science and technology in agricultural production to boost productivity, quality, and efficiency.

To date, thanks to agricultural and rural investment promotion efforts, Hue City has supported 28 production facilities with a total budget of over VND 8.3 billion for greenhouses, net houses, barns, ponds, and related equipment. Each facility received support of VND 150 million-1 billion depending on its scale and type of investment. After receiving support, the facilities have continued production and achieved clear results in productivity, scale, and product quality. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the policy in encouraging and fostering the development of high-tech agriculture in the city.

Hue City has also coordinated with units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to build infrastructure for the development of large-timber forest plantation areas, with the construction of nine roads totaling more than 12.7 km at a cost of VND 50 billion. This infrastructure facilitates the promotion of production and consumption linkage chains for wood products from planted forests, tied to sustainable forest management certification.

The city now has 115 OCOP-certified products, and producers participate in media and trade promotion events, contributing to stronger production and business growth. Several enterprises that have joined linkage chains with farmer households and cooperatives initially achieved positive results, gradually stabilizing agricultural output and increasing the added value of products in the chains.

According to the Hue Center for Investment Promotion, Trade, and Enterprise Support, in recent years, as part of its industrial promotion activities, the center has focused on providing assistance on finance, machinery, and equipment to improve production and management capacity for facilities, enterprises, and cooperatives producing rural industrial products. Additionally, the center has also facilitated units' participation in product exhibitions, trade fairs, and supply-demand connection conferences, thereby enhancing market access and expanding consumption markets.

Besides, the center has coordinated with former districts, communes, and wards to conduct surveys and develop projects supporting the application of advanced machinery and equipment in production, tailored to local needs and accessibility. These projects aim to improve productivity and product quality, meet market demands, and create jobs for local workers.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, Director of the Hue Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that to develop sustainable agriculture, promoting investment and attracting businesses, particularly in key products and high-tech applications, are crucial factors.

In the coming period, the locality will urgently build an agricultural sector database, provide timely information on the sector’s incentives and investment promotion items, and advise the People’s Committee and People’s Council on issuing support policies to encourage enterprises to invest in agriculture and rural areas. The city aims to attract investment in projects applying high technology and developing organic, circular, and peri-urban ecological agriculture linked with tourism and new rural construction.

Hue City will also promote startups, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and farmer households engaged in the production and business of the city's specialty products. The goal is to further enhance the value of agricultural products in line with the OCOP program.

"Hue City will accelerate synchronous mechanization across all stages of production, preservation, and processing of agricultural products, tailored to the conditions of each area and type of crop or livestock. The locality will also develop agro-processing industries associated with fully mechanized raw material production zones, aligned with market demand and consumption capacity," said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, Director of the Hue Department of Agriculture and Environment.