Mekong Delta applies new farming models

VGP – The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta will adopt three new cooperative models for farming fruits, tra fish, and rice, according to a plan of the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

August 18, 2013 1:26 PM GMT+7

Illustration photo

The new model will be carried out in two phases in Can Tho city and the delta's 12 provinces.

The first phase, which began in July and will end in October, involves appraising the Delta's collective economy and functioning of existing cooperatives and proposing new cooperative models for the region's three key products.

In the second phase (until July 2016), the plan will be officially implemented.

The delta's individual economy has developed well and the region has designated special areas for growing rice and fruits and aquaculture.

However, local people are living in poor conditions and do not have stable incomes because they do not have stable markets for their products.

Can Tho and the 12 provinces have 1,300 cooperatives with 23,260 members and 45,000 cooperative teams.

Only 2-5% of farmers in the Delta are members of cooperatives, with the main hurdles to membership being low education standards and poor management of the cooperatives./.