'Phu Binh Hill Chicken' garners fame thanks to biosafe farming

Biosafe farming is the correct path

From June to September 2024, with the support of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, Tan Tien Hill Chicken Cooperative (Tan Khanh Commune, Phu Binh District) has participated in the project “Building a model of raising indigenous broiler in the direction of organic farming and OCOP certification associated with product consumption linkage”.

Participating in the model with 3,200 Ri chickens, Truong Van Huong, one of the members of the cooperative, adds biological products to the feed, helping the chickens stay healthy without having to use antibiotics to prevent disease.

“After 14 weeks of experiencing organic farming, the chickens grow and develop well, with a high survival rate of up to 97% and an average weight of more than 2 kg per head. One thing to note is that we do not have to depend on antibiotics to prevent common diseases, but the chickens are still in prime conditions,” he said.

Since May 2024, nine farming households of the cooperative have participated in the project on “Building a VietGAHP colored feather broiler farming model, creating linkage in the value chain between cooperatives of some northern provinces”. The total scale is estimated at 9,000 commercial broilers. The breed used in the model is the hybrid of colored feather broiler and Ri chicken.

“The technical procedures for raising chickens are being popularized and applied to members of the cooperative as well as associated households. The cooperative has been granted VietGAP certification, and the cooperative's fresh chicken products have been recognized by the People's Committee of Phu Binh district as 3-star OCOP products,” said Bui Quang Huu, Director of Tan Tien Hill Chicken Cooperative.

Maintaining the prestige of "Phu Binh Hill Chicken" brand

The land of Phu Binh in Thai Nguyen province is known for its low hills, flat terrain, and sparse population. It is a place with favorable natural conditions for large-scale free-range chicken farming. Aiming to make full use of these advantages, Phu Binh district has begun to develop free-range chicken models since 2010. Now, when one mentions “Phu Binh Hill Chicken”, it comes up as a brand of chicken with beautiful appearance, firm, savory meat, and eggs with a high yolk ratio.

In order to successfully build the brand “Phu Binh Hill Chicken”, over the past years, Thai Nguyen Provincial Agricultural Extension Center and Phu Binh District Agricultural Service Center have improved the production capability of farmers by transferring many technical advances in breeds, feed, farming techniques, disease prevention measures, etc.

“In the process of raising livestock in an organic way, following VietGAHP standards, farmers tend to struggle in recording all information in a complete, scientific and accurate logbook to be able to trace the origin of the product. They need to be proactive when it comes to information about the time of importing the breed, the address of the place where the breed was sold, what vaccines have been injected, along with many other minute details,” said the Director of Tan Tien Hill Chicken Cooperative.

Some livestock farming households are still hesitant because they think that applying production according to VietGAHP standards will increase costs while the profits gained will not be higher than just sticking to the usual farming method.

“Chicken farmers are facing one critical problem. Animal feed currently accounts for 75% of production costs. Therefore, we all hope that the state and ministries can find solutions to stabilize animal feed prices soon so that people can feel secure in investing,” Bui Quang Huu said.

Local farmers also requested that Thai Nguyen Provincial Agricultural Extension Center and Phu Binh District Agricultural Service Center continue opening training courses for people on diverse topics such as farm management and operation, application of 4.0 technology, and digital transformation in livestock farming.

In 2014, “Phu Binh Hill Chicken” was granted a trademark registration certificate by the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology). The brand “Phu Binh Hill Chicken” has also promoted the movement of raising hill chickens in Phu Binh district, Thai Nguyen province, thereby bringing high income and improving farmers' livelihood.