Vietnam’s first AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live, held in Can Tho successfully concluded last week
The 20-hectare outdoor event combining field demonstrations, an exhibition and conference programme, attracted almost 4,000 farmers, traders, scientists and politicians. The second edition of the event which took place from 24-26 August aimed to demonstrate solutions suitable for local farming needs in Southeast Asia. It was jointly hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Can Tho City Peoples’ Committee.
At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture of Vietnam, Le Minh Hoan, emphasised that the AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live event played a key role in practical demonstrations of new, available technologies and solutions. “It is necessary to boost mechanisation in agricultural production, apply smart and environmentally friendly technologies towards digitalisation and automation to increase labour productivity, as it is an inevitable solution for efficient agricultural production and sustainable development,” he said.
Located in the Mekong Delta, the fields of Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute and the exhibition area in Can Tho City offered an ideal venue for AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live to present not only technical agricultural equipment and trial plots demonstrating crop solutions, but also the processing of agricultural and food products, including livestock, aquaculture as well as fruit and vegetables. More than 80 agencies and companies, including research institutions and NGOs presented solutions on the field and on outdoor stands.
Moreover, the information lounge designed by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) was popular among visitors, given its interactive format that enabled easy exchange between German technology providers and specialists from Vietnam and neighbouring countries.
Field demonstrations
Live events comprised of machinery demonstrations and cultivation practices, like laser-controlled land levelling, mechanised direct seeding and transplanting, rice cluster farming with precision seeding, drones for fertilizer and pesticide application as well as for reduced postharvest lodging from reduced lodging risk and improved grain quality. In parallel, trial plots presented rice and local seed varieties along with crop protection solutions. The practical demonstration format allowed farmers quick and effective access to applicable modern technologies that supported the aim of sustainable farming.
Bayer presented its ‘Much More Rice’ solutions to help Vietnamese farmers enhance their rice performance, quality, and profitability, while addressing long-term challenges posed by pests, diseases, weeds and unfavourable environmental conditions. “At Bayer, we believe human ingenuity can shape the future of agriculture,” said Ha Chu, country lead Vietnam of Bayer Crop Science. “Bayer Vietnam is proud to showcase our innovations for variety of crops, aiming to help Vietnamese farmers produce more with less in the fight against climate change,” he added.
Workshops on rice production and mechanization in Asia
A series of workshops hosted by MARD and IRRI were held at AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live, forming a practical part of MARD’s strategy to promote scale-appropriate mechanisation, cultivation and product processing that support sustainability.
IRRI’s CORIGAP Science and Lessons Learned Seminars presented findings from on-going research from the Swiss-funded project, ‘Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint’. Project partners from Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand presented their results for ‘good agricultural practices’ in rice production, postharvest loss reduction, and sustainable production practices, including reducing environmental footprints, assessing biodiversity in rice landscapes and pathways for the agro ecological transition to sustainable agri-food systems.
Since its inception 10 years ago, the project has reached over 783,000 farm holdings in six countries through cooperation with national programs. “This has been a fantastic opportunity once again, especially after all the COVID-induced limitations of the last years, for disseminating the lessons learned to various stakeholders, including policy makers and for cross-country learning and exchange,” said Martin Gummert, IRRI-CORIGAP coordinator.
