A model on planting crops on saline soil in southern Kien Giang Province is expected to provide an effective way of ensuring cooking security and improve local residents’ life.

The 30,000-euro project (US$44,700), which was carried out based on the private–public partnership mechanism, was launched by the Hoa Bien Company and the province’s departments of agriculture and rural development, science and technology and natural resources and environment in April this year and will run until November 2010.

This is the first time that governmental offices have co-ordinated with a private firm to carry out a crop planting project on saline soil.

Last week, officials from 20 agricultural departments nationwide joined a training course organised by the Hoa Bien Company in co-operation with Kien Giang Province agencies on the subject.

Kien Giang Province and many other Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces are areas where saline soil dominates, which is not suitable for growing crops.

Previously, similar projects to plant crops on saline soil were carried out in various provinces, but were not successful, according to Chu Van Cuong, co-ordinator of the project in Kien Giang Province.

“Those projects were launched by local governmental offices but a lack of proper technology and experience made them unsuccessful,” said Cuong.

The new project applied new planting techonologies and new management methods provided by the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ), and was expected to better previous ones.

On the 20ha area of the project, cajuput trees, guava, coconut and pineapples were planted while the same land was used for scientific research activities, according to Nguyen Van Chau, director of Hoa Bien Company.

Chau, who used to plant cajuput on his land in a previous project, said that his cajuput garden was stunted and did not bring any profit.

Since the application of the new technology supplied by the GTZ in April this year, his mango garden has grown well and promised a fruitful harvest.

“I hope the new method will help improve residents’ life, maintain the area’s biodiversity and ensure food security for the region,” he said.

VNN/VNS