Korea grants USD 3 million to develop smart agriculture in Da Lat

On August 9, in Da Lat city (Lam Dong), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea held the inauguration ceremony of smart farms - The establishment of a smart and safe agricultural product value chain project in Vietnam.

The project of establishing a smart and safe agricultural product value chain in Vietnam is funded by the Korean Government and assigned to the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics. Accordingly, the project is implemented at the Potato, Vegetable and Flower Research Center (Da Lat city, Lam Dong) with a total aid budget of over USD 3 million.

In this project, there are 7 operational components including smart farm construction; domestic and foreign training; technology transfer through foreign experts; product branding; market connection; policy recommendations for smart farm development; equipment support.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan, Deputy Director of the Digital Transformation Center, Deputy Director of the Project Management Board said, currently, the project has built 5.7 thousand m2 of greenhouses according to Korean technology and planted varieties of strawberries, peppers and tomatoes. At the same time, they organize 6 short-term training classes, and 2 long-term courses for more than 150 students and build the ViKo-Farm brand for the project.

This is considered a typical smart farming model that applies advanced technologies in smart farm management in Korea to Vietnamese conditions.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan, the plan from now to 2025, the project will continue to deploy the production of crops such as strawberries, tomatoes, and chili peppers and trademark the registration, and food safety certification for the project's products. Simultaneously the project analyses data, perfects digital management applications, perfects technology processes and sharing information data, promoting trade, and training. "By 2025, the project will promote the introduction of smart farming models for production replication," said Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan.

At the ceremony, Mr. Yoon Won Sup, Director of Agroforestry Policy Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea said, recently, Vietnam and Korea issued a joint statement to upgrade the two countries' relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. 

The opening of the project to establish a smart and safe agricultural product value chain in Vietnam is of great significance in strengthening the cooperative relationship between the two countries.

“Recently, due to climate change and the importance of food security, smart agriculture based on the development of digital is increasingly focused. This project is an official development aid (ODA) project based on local climate and environmental conditions," Mr. Yoon Won Sup said, adding that Korea hopes the project will promote efficiency in Vietnam's smart agricultural policy-making process.

Mr. Hong Ki-ok, Agricultural Counselor of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam shared that the opening of the Project on Establishing a Smart and Safe Agricultural Product Value Chain in Vietnam is an important, meaningful link in the transfer of smart agricultural technology, strengthening cooperation in the field of agriculture.

Mr. Hong Ki-ok said, “We hope that the smart farm in Da Lat will act as a premise and basis for the Vietnam-Korea relationship in general and agricultural development, in particular, is increased to new heights”. 

At the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that Korea is the leading country in terms of FDI investment in Vietnam and ranked 2nd in ODA and important partners in many fields.

Regarding the project of establishing a smart and safe agricultural product value chain, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan shared, This is a very important project in promoting the relationship between the two countries and contributing to the construction and development of quality agriculture in Vietnam.

In the near future, the two countries will cooperate and accompany more closely and jointly create an ecosystem after the project to spread not only in the Lam Dong area but also develop and build in many provinces and cities across the country.