Cassava for Biofuel in Vietnam

CROPS FOR BIOFUEL This paper to supply the final report for three years (2008-2010) research and development of cassava varieties and new techniques at pilot site selection in Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Ninh Thuan and Yen Bai province, a production map of cassava for biofuel in Vietnam: opportunities and challenges, and recommendation for next step.  

Hoang Kim[1], Nguyen Van Bo[2] Rod Lefroy, Keith Fahrney⁴ Hernan Ceballos,
Nguyen Phuong, Tran Cong Khanh, Nguyen Trong Hien , Hoang Long
Vo Van Quang[3],Nguyen Thi Thien Phuong, Nguyen Thi Le Dung
Bui Huy Hop, Trinh Van My, Le Thi Yen

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

Three urgent issues of global are energy crisis, environmental risk and food security. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) received grant funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement this project, which is also known as the “Programme for Linking the Poor to Global Markets: Pro-poor Development of Biofuel Supply Chains,” but will hereafter be referred to as the “IFAD Biofuels Project”, during a three-year period, between Jan.2008 to Dec. 2010. The objective of the project is to integrate improved cultivars of biofuel crops in smallholder farming systems to provide an alternative source of income, while meeting the varied needs of rural communities for food security and animal feeds. The project will work on three continents, with three major crops as feedstock for biofuels: sweet sorghum (in India, the Philippines, and Mali), cassava (in China, Colombia, and Viet Nam), and jatropha (in India and Mali).  A detailed description of the project is found in the project design document, which was submitted to IFAD in Dec. 2007. ICRISAT is the Programme Executing Agency, responsible to the project’s donor (IFAD). CIAT will manage the cassava research component of the IFAD Biofuels Project in partnership with the Viet Nam Cassava Programme (VNCP) in Viet Nam (including VAAS and NLU) , the Guangxi Subtropical Crops Research Institute (GSCRI) in China, and the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium to Support Cassava Research and Development (CLAYUCA) in Colombia.  Two sections of CIAT are involved in the IFAD Biofuels Project, namely the CIAT Cassava Program based in Colombia and the CIAT Asia Regional Office based in the Lao PDR, Components of the cassava research programme the following Breeding, Varietal Evaluation, Agronomy, Crop Management, Analysis of Livelihood Systems, Assessment of Market Linkages, Models for decentralized bioethanol production, Waste management, Knowledge Sharing. This paper to supply the final report for three years research and development of cassava varieties and new techniques at pilot site selection in Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Ninh Thuan and Yen Bai province, a production map of cassava for biofuel in Vietnam: opportunities and challenges, and recommendation for next step.  

BRIEF RESULTS AND RECENT ADVANCES  OF CASSAVA FOR BIOFUEL

Cassava production in 2009 in Vietnam reached 9.45 million tons from 1.99 million tons of production in 2000. It is the result of the expansion area from 237,600 ha to 560,400 ha and the yield from 8.36 tones / ha in 2000 to 16.90 tons / ha in 2009. Vietnam has made rapid technical progress in Asia in the selection and breeding of cassava. This progressive is due to many factors but the main factor is the achievement of breeding and cross breeding of cassava. Productivity of cassava production in many provinces had doubled by planting new cassava varieties and high yield cultivation techniques applied cassava appropriate and sustainable. Area of ​​new cassava varieties cultivated over the whole country is 500,000 ha, mainly KM94, KM140, KM98-5, KM98-1, SM937-26, KM98-7. Cassava chip and cassava starch have a high competitive advantage and market potential of cassava. The combination of development and production of cassava as starch processing, animal feed and bio-ethanol has created more jobs, increase exports, attract foreign investment and contributed to industrialization, modernization of some rural areas.(Hoang Kim, Nguyen Van Bo et al. 2010).

The study on testing of breeding and introduction from the CIAT cassava is suitable for ethanol production targets being made bio in the Vietnam Cassava Program. With 24,073 cassava seeds introduced from CIAT, 37,210 cassava hybrid seeds made in Vietnam, 38 authors varieties and 31 local varieties of cassava have selected 98 prospected varieties. Three varieties KM140, KM98 and KM98-7-5 were released in the 2007-2009 period. The new cassava varieties KM419, KM414, KM397, KM228, KM325, KM318, KM297, KM21-12, SC5, HB60 are currently testing in Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Ninh Thuan and Yen Bai (Hoang Kim et al. 2010).

CASSAVA FOR BIOFUEL IN VIETNAM: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Cassava development for bio-fuel is the golden opportunity for the farmers in rural of Vietnam. Three urgent issues of global are energy crisis, environmental risk and food security. Brazil is open towards bio-fuel production in 40 years so far has been entirely self-sufficient fuel in the country that does not face famine situation. There are five countries have developed bio-fuels program in large-scale: U.S. (18.4 billion liters per year), Brazil (17.0 billion liters per year), China (3.8 billion liters per year), India (1.9 billion liters per year) and France (0.9 billion liters per year). Currently, seventeen countries have been the evolution of bio-fuels. Americans spent 7.0 million ha of corn and 3.4 million ha of soy-been per year, up to 90% of the area of ​​genetically modified plants for this program. Cassava for bio-fuel has the advantage of high in many Asian countries.

Cassava as raw materials for bio-fuels processing is the golden opportunity for Vietnam famers to increase their income. Reasons: 1) Cassava has a high yield of alcohol (six kg of fresh cassava tubers are processed one liter of alcohol) the price of biological material from cassava cheaper than other crops. 2) Cassava is a large volume of products. National cassava production reached almost 10 million tons of fresh. 3) Cassava is easy to grow, little cocoon of land with low cost investment in the appropriate economic conditions of many poor farmers. 4) Cassava varieties offered good and appropriate cultivation techniques. 5) Cassava has attractive profit. It has approximately 10-25 million per hectare. 6) Cassava price is stable outlook due to high demand for cassava export market and domestic consumption. Cassava areas of Vietnam are very close to China, the world's largest cassava market. Moreover, six ethanol factories in Phu Tho, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai and Dak Nong are building with a total capacity of 550 million liters of ethanol per year. 7) Vietnam farmers are hardworking, energetic, have accumulated much experience increased productivity and efficiency economic advantages of cassava reached high compared with other countries in the region. Cassava growing to supply the bio-fuel factories with competitive prices attractive acquisition will help farmers to increase their income. It creates new industries and products in rural areas, formation of industrial clusters and urban ecology, increase employment and livelihood for people, open countryside towards improving social life.

Environmentally friendly issues and food security The survey results of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nguyen Anh Phong 2010) suggests:  Cassava area up to now has exceeded the government's plan. However, it was small, scattered and lack organizational effectiveness. Maintaining the cassava area is now planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will cause a local scarcity of cassava and seasonal ingredients for bio-ethanol competition will push prices higher cassava. The process of sustainable cultivation of cassava is available, but little has been applied by the spontaneous production, heavy exploitation of natural resources. Competitive land with cassava crops, sugarcane and forest land has taken place. In the future, needs of cassava for bio-fuel production maintained at a high level. Demand for meat and meat products as well as feed demand are also expected to increase in Vietnam. Some recommendations Need to review and adjust the plan in case the current status of cassava area was beyond the planning in several provinces. Production planning for medium and long term vision should identify the competitive advantage of the province / region to develop main cassava areas and the infrastructure associated to the processing industry to ensure environmental mitigation.The enterprise has the commitment of the province when the building materials applied to ensure applying good varieties, sustainable farming systems, minimize environmental impact for the region in main cassava station. ; Enterprises should also commit to the farmers in the area of ​​raw materials to ensure stable raw materials for the business but also ensure income for farmers. This commitment can be regarded as a conditions as approved by the provincial planning of material areas for cassava processing. Building and developing the manufacturing sector focus should be accompanied with infrastructure development, especially water pumping systems, water supplies, roads and pollution treatment equipment (such as channel systems and wastewater discharge filtration) with the supervision and support of professional bodies and governments at all levels.

FIVE MAJOR SOLUTIONS FOR DEVELOPING CASSAVA

After twenty years of research, extension (1991-2010) Vietnam cassava plant was quickly converted from food crops to industrial crops. Cassava is now promising crop for both export and domestic use. Vietnam Cassava Program has agreed five solutions to develop cassava:

1. Determining the appropriate strategy of research and development in collaboration with the cassava processing factories to set the resource sector is stable, using cassava for bio-ethanol production.

2. Creation and dissemination of selected cassava varieties with high fresh yield, high percentage of dry matter and high starch content, less infected aphids, pests and diseases of cassava. Creating hybrid cassava by doing double haploid (DH) derived from CIAT materials, hybridization, mutation, and transgenic cassava breeding. Selecting and developing cassava varieties which have short growth duration, high fresh yield and high quality.

3. Construction process cassava cultivation techniques to synthesize and transfer of farming techniques suitable for cassava farmers to increase productivity, economic efficiency of cassava chip and cassava starch in different ecological zones.

4. Research and development of cassava processing technology. Development of the domestic market and for export of cassava products. Using cassava leaves as animal feed and food processing. Utilize substandard products of cassava starch processing and ethanol to make animal feed and fertilizer.

5. Environmentally friendly issues and food security Bio-fuels development from cassava should focus on building and expanding the raw material, paying attention to environmentally friendly and food security. The development of the program is not the direction of improved cassava production to increase output but also to focus on distribution systems, processing, consumption, regulate interest groups, improving economic performance quality products, competitive advantage, building a healthy environment and prosperous rural life.

Key words: cassava for biofuel, Vietnam.

---

[1] Nong Lam University (NLU), Linh Trung, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;

  hoangkim_vietnam@yahoo.com; phuongdtg@yahoo.com

[2] Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), Van Dien, Thanh Tri, Hanoi, Vietnam.

   nvbo@hn.vnn.vn ; trong_hienccc@yahoo.com

³  International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Regional Office for Asia, P.O.Box 783, Vientiane, Lao PDR; r.lefroy@cgiar.org;

⁴ International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), CIAT , Apartado Aereo 67-13; Cali, Colombia; h.ceballos@cgiar.org  and k.fahrney@cgiar.org

[3] Institute of Agricultural Sciences for South Vietnam (IAS),121 Nguyen Binh Khiem, district 1,

   Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; vovanquangvietnam@gmail.com

See more ...
http://foodcrops.vn

http://cropsforbiofuel.blogspot.com;  

http://cassavaviet.blogspot.com;

http://foodcrops.blogspot.com

Happy New Year 2011 to all my friends

rice, maize, cassava, sweet potato, farm and farming

Food crops are crops that used for food products for humans, the major sources of carbohydrates for energy and carbohydrate in diets.The main food crops of the world are corn (Zea Mays L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum sp.), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.),Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) sorghum (Sorghum sp.), millet (Setaria L. Beauv , Panicum miliaceum L., Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn), Corn, rice and wheat account for about 89% of global food production and about 45% calories from all food . The main food crops in Vietnam as rice (7,414,000 ha), maize (1,125,000ha) , cassava (556,000 ha) and sweet potato (162,000 ha) by 2008.

see more ...
FOOD CROPS http://foodcrops.blogspot.com/
Current Feed Content
http://feeds.feedburner.com/FoodCrops

Sustainable cassava production in Vietnam

The history and recent developments

FOOD CROPS: Cassava in Vietnam is among the four most important food crops. Cassava now an important source of cash income to small farmers. In 2008, cassava fresh root production in Vietnam was about 9.39 million tones, up from only 1.99 million tones in 2000 and marked increases in yield, from 8.36 t/ha in 2000 to 16.90 t/ha in 2008. Vietnam has made the fastest progress in application of new technologies in breeding and new cultivar propagation in Asia. Such progress has been considered as a result of many factors, of which the success in breeding and application of new technologies were the main contributing factors. Cassava yields and production in several provinces have more than doubled due to the planting of new high-yielding cassava varieties more than 420,000 ha by 2007/08, (more than 500,000 ha by 2008/09, mainly KM94, KM140, KM98-5, KM98-1, SM937-26, KM98-7 varieties, and the adoption of more sustainable production practices. Cassava in Vietnam: a successful story

See more: Cassava in Vietnam a successful story
Selection and development of hybrid cassava variety KM 140 (VIFOTECH Award Jan.19, 2010)

Sweet sorghum in Vietnam

http://cayluongthuc.blogspot.com/2009/10/tuyet-voi-cay-lua-mien-ngot.html

 
Dr.William D Dar
Director General of ICRISAT

Empowering the Poor through Bio-Energy

ICRISAT is working hard to ensure that the billions of dollars now flowing into bio-energy benefit the poor, rather than marginalizing them.


The risk is real. Bio-energy today is mostly derived from agriculture, and biofuel crops could take land away from growing food. Without conscious pro-poor action, influencing government policies and technologies, the poor may become poorer, and the hungry, hungrier.


As an agriculturally-oriented, non-profit, international organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty in the tropical drylands through research-for-development, ICRISAT's mission and capacities position it ideally to contribute, together with partners, to pro-poor BioPower development.

Overall Goal and Objectives

1. The overall goal:


The overall goal of the project is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and landless rural households by enabling use of improved technology for bio-energy crops cultivation and enabling production-supply chain linkages through an innovative coalition of partners involving farmers, researchers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and bio-fuel industry for sustainable production of bio-fuels in the targeted countries. It is expected to lead to self reliance (sustainable and environment-friendly) in energy needs for household and agricultural operations as well as help rehabilitate degraded lands.


2. Objectives:


a) To develop improved high biomass and juice yielding sweet-stalk and brown mid-rib sorghum cultivars and high biomass and/or sugary cassava varieties; standardize propagating techniques for true breeding large-scale multiplication of high yielding collections of jatropha, and evaluate them for seed yield and oil content;


b) To conduct regional testing using available sweet sorghum and cassava cultivars and established jatropha nurseries; to fine tune production packages including pest and disease management with the selected sweet sorghum and cassava lines; and “plus” tree jatropha collections for each of the target countries to maximize productivity and build seed systems to produce sufficient stocks of seed materials for each country for each crop;


c) To facilitate the development of enterprises and mechanism(s) for supply of inputs for crop production, and buy-back of sweet sorghum stalks, cassava roots, and jatropha oil seeds by the industry for bio-ethanol and bio-diesel production respectively;


d) To develop and evaluate improved technologies to assess the role of various by-products as organic manure and/or pesticide; and


e) To build the knowledge base of farmers, NGOs and line department staff on the importance of bio-fuel needs, various technical aspects related to their production, cultivation practices and their seed (sexual/asexual) systems, and supply chain management.

ICRISAT and IFAD call for a second Green Revolution

CROPSFORBIOFUEL to follow up Checkbiotech.org (press release) Wednesday, December 2, 2009 . This clarion call was given by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Director General William Dar and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Kanayo Nwanze in dialogue with the media.


A second Green Revolution must be waged to end hunger and poverty in the drylands.


See more...

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Remember Norman Borlaug

http://cayluongthuc.blogspot.com/2007/12/li-thy-dn.html

Music The Volunteer Truong Quoc Khanh

THE VOLUNTEER
Music : TỰ NGUYỆN
Nhạc và lời: Trương Quốc Khánh

If a bird, I would be a white pigeon.
If a flower, I would be a sun-flower.
If a cloud, I would be a whole warm cloud
A human, I will die for my country.

A bird, I would rise high my soft wings
From South to the North, I give good news.
A flower, I blossom the early love
With all the hearts enthralled by the peace.

A cloud, I would fly to all the sky
To follow our heroic history
A human, just once before I die
With my brothers, standing, raising the flag.

English translation
by TuyetHop and BichNga

Voluntariness

If a bird, I would be a white pigeon.
If a flower, I would be a sun flower.
If a cloud, I wold be a warm cloud.
A man, I will die for our country.

Being a bird, I would raise the soft wings
From South to the North, all news are joined.
Being a flower, I effloresce the early love
With all the hearts are enthralled the peace.

Being a cloud, with the wind I fly all the sky.
There’s been a superb millenary, today we'll be catenary.
Being a man, before we die
We’ll stand up with you raise highly the flag.

NTTH

TRAVEL AND PLACES

From Japan to Vietnam

by Prof. K. Kawano (Japan)

Cassava and Vietnam: Now and Then

HoangKimVietNam on Hubpages. "My ten years of close collaboration with my cassava breeding colleagues in the 1990s and the reunion with them in this trip completely changed my assessment of the Vietnamese. As evidenced by the series of my reporting here, they are industrious, insightful, considerate and indefatigable, as if to emulate General Vo Nguyen Giap" Kazuo Kawano said.

Throughout my many years of association with Vietnam, I have gotten to know many people, whom I seem to be able to categorize in retrospect. I got my first impression of the Vietnamese from the several Vietnamese trainees staying at the International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines in 1963 and it was not particularly a favorable one. They appeared rather uncaring, cynical and apathetic, if not selfish, contemptuous, and corrupt. I may be too harsh and judgmental on them; nevertheless, Halberstam wrote about this type of people belonging to the upper strata of the South Vietnamese society during the same period so vividly and critically in 「The Making of a Quagmire」that my judgment might not have been too far away from the reality.

My ten years of close collaboration with my cassava breeding colleagues in the 1990s and the reunion with them in this trip completely changed my assessment of the Vietnamese. As evidenced by the series of my reporting here, they are industrious, insightful, considerate and indefatigable, as if to emulate General Vo Nguyen Giap. I might be a little too positively partial to those friends of mine. Nevertheless, I have a similar feeling toward some of my colleagues in Rayong, Thailand and Nanning, China to count a few. During the two decades of post-war Japan, we seem to have many Japanese of this category as well.

Then comes the mass of the population who just want tomorrow to be better than today. In this trip, I was deeply impressed and touched in meeting many people who seemed never to doubt tomorrow is better than today. This reminds me of the Japanese during the next two decades of post-war where the majority of the population was seeing a rosy future. Now in Japan, more than 30,000 people commit suicide annually and the main reason for this act is believed to be hopelessness to the present and future. Needless to say, Vietnam is not without problems such as the incompleteness of juridical system or rampant corruption to name some. Yet, the proportion of people feeling happy seems to be far higher in Vietnam than in Japan now. It is fascinating to imagine where these former colleagues of mine would further lead this society to.
See more: Kazuo Kawano and Vietnam
Cassava and Vietnam: Now and Then
A Glimpse of Lao Cassava Workshop
Current situation of cassava in Vietnam and the breeding of improved cultivars

PUBLICATIONS AND E - BOOKS

FOOD CROPS IN VIETNAM

• Cassava in Vietnam: a successful story
  
  
  
  Initial Contacts
  In September 1988, Dr. Kazuo Kawano (CIAT cassava breeder) and Dr. Reinhardt Howeler (agronomist), both working at the CIAT Cassava Office for Asia in Bangkok, visited Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam (IAS) in Ho Chi Minh city. They discussed with Dr. Tran The Thong, Director, Dr. Mai Van Quyen, Deputy Director of IAS, and Mr. Hoang Kim (Director of Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center belong to IAS), possible future collaboration. They also visited Hung Loc Center and cassava growing areas in Dong Nai and Tay Ninh provinces. (see more ...)
  
• Cassava News in Center Point 
• Cassava pest in Latin America Africa and Asia 
• Crop diversification in Vietnam 
• Current situation of cassava in Vietnam and the breeding of improved cultivars 
• Dong Nai farmers embrace new technology 
• Dạy và học trực tuyến cây lúa 
• Foodcrops in Vietnam 
• Sweet Potato Varieties in Vietnam 
• Learning by doing 
• Norman Borlaug di sản niềm tin và nổ lực 
• Selection and development of hybrid cassava variety KM 140
• Up to date of 6th International Rice Genetics Symposium 
• Vietnam’s exports see breakthrough in 2010 
• Visit regarding cassava pests and diseases 
  

LINKS

• Biofuel Information
• Crop Explorer
• Crops for Biofuel
• FAO Global Cassava Partnership
• http://cassavaviet.blogspot.com/
• http://cayluongthuc.blogspot.com/
• http://tinkhoahoc.blogspot.com/
• http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sắn
• http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thành_viên:Dayvahoc
• Status of cassava in Vietnam
• Danforth Center Research Overview

GLOBAL CASSAVA PARTNERSHIPS GCP1

“Cassava : Meeting the Chalenges of the New Millennium”
July 21-25, 2008 IPBO – Ghent University – Belgium


Cassava is one of the major subsistence crops in the world. It feeds more than a billion people every day, through it is today exploited at about 15% of it current potential. Many factores account for this situation , most of them due to the fact that it is a vegetatively propagated crop, therefore associated with a lot of biotic constraints. However, it natural drought resistance and it semi-perennial botanical nature offer incomparable advantages for poor farmers. Expressing the full potential of cassava would turn this subsistence crop into an industrial one. This evolution already took place in several Asian coutries and South America, and in some rare places in Africa. It the largest number of people in developing countries use cassava as a crop to solve the food problem in the world and to change the economy of developing countries.


During the First Scientific meeting of the Global Cassava Partnership (GCP-1), we will review the status of knowledge about cassava, to show its potential and demonstrate the possibilities to unlock that potential !


The first day of the meeting, dubbed “Donor Day” is entirely dedicated to illustrate all the recent initiatives taken in cassava research and development, and to promote a discussion about the gaps in knowledge and funding.


During the week, 115 presentations by all the world most knowledgeable cassava experts, gathered in 13 concurrent sessions, intend to review all the recent advances made in cassava science and cassava improvement. Three days of poster sessions, with open 200 posters, will provide an opportunity to exchange, talk and argue about issues important for casava.


More importantly, the goal of this International Cassava Forum is to convince donors of the necessity to invest more , to strengthen the synergy in the cassava community, as well as to encourage more scientists to work with this very important crop, the third source of calories in the developing world, which feeds more than a billion people every day!


Dr. Claude M. Fauquest
Organizer of the First Scientific meeting of the Global Cassava Partnership

I

Cassava: A Gift to the World and a Challenge for Scientists

The Global Cassava Partnership, a network of scientists and developpers of cassava, aims to improve cassava by promoting the investment of science and technology worldwide. In the past decade the cassava research community has made impressive progress in  tackling important production constraints in the areas of assembling large conlections of landraces and willspecies, breeding for pest and disease resistance and added value traits, development of low-cost rapid propagation systems, implementation of genomics tools for marker-assisted selectionand virus diagnostics, development of transgeniccassava for nutritions traits and for resistance to viruses, and the establishment of regional public and private sector partnership. Despit these improvements, yields in large parts of the cassava production areas are well below the potential of the germplasm developed. Limitations exist and are preventing the rapid formation of the next generationof cassava scientists on a large scale. Gaps still persist in the areas of technology transfer and in delivering added values for casava end users. The GCP has identified several opportunities and strategies to improve cassava production systems and they will be presented and discussed during the First Scientific meeting of the Global Cassava Partnership (GCP 1).

Joe Tohme and Claude Fauquet
Co-Chairs of the Global Cassava Partnership

Lời yêu thương
 

Khoác thêm tấm áo trời se lạnh
Đông tàn xuân đã đến rồi em
Phúc hậu mỗi ngày chăm việc thiện
Yêu thương xa cách hóa gần thêm
 
 Loving word

Wearing sweater when it's rather cold.
Winter comes to an end, and early Spring is coming.
Everyday, we care good deeds kindly.
Distant love turns out to be close together.

HK

Dong Nai farmers embrace new technology

FOOD CROPS to follow up Vietnam News — Southern Dong Nai Province near HCM City is increasingly using advanced technologies in agriculture and high-yield crop and animal strains. Pham Minh Dao, director of its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said all rice, corn, sugarcane, and bean farmers and 90 per cent of cassava growers use newly developed strains of high quality and yield.Growing vegetables and other crops in green houses and using irrigation, fertilisers, and pesticides in a scientific manner have seen the agriculture sector add value, he said.

Most farmers have replaced human labour with machines, with machines doing nearly 100 per cent of the ploughing. (Farmers using a combine harvester in a field in the southern province of Dong Nai. The province is applying advanced technologies in agriculture and high-yield crop and animal strains. — VNS Photo Hoang Hai).

The province has invested in irrigation canals to provide water for cultivation, enabling many areas to grow crops all year round. More than 200,000 farming families work on 368,000ha of land, with more than 1 per cent of them earning VNÐ100 million (US$5,100) per ha per year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Agricultural output increased from VND5.6 trillion ($295 million) in 2005 to VND7.5 trillion last year, and is expected to rise to VND8 trillion ($410,000) this year. However, large areas are not earmarked for growing a particular crop while co-ordination between the Government, businesses, farmers, and scientists is not very good, causing severe volatility in prices.

Despie being located in the southern key economic zone, the province has just 73 agricultural co-operatives and four high-productivity unions. To resolve these shortcomings, authorities will focus on modernising agriculture and developing agricultural processing and rural services and co-operatives.

Dao said the province will focus on developing co-operatives because only creating large tracts for cultivation will facilitate the use of machinery, drive down costs, and increase profits. Last September the province began construction of the 2,187-ha Agropark agro-industrial complex in Xuan Loc District.The complex, expected to be finished in five years, will focus on crops, livestock, food processing, and other areas. — VNS

Source: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Agriculture/206602/Dong-Nai-farmers-embrace-new-technology.html

Vietnam’s exports see breakthrough in 2010

FOOD CROPS to follow up VOVNEWS.VN. Vietnam’s exports have grown considerably in 2010 but its trade deficit is estimated to below 20 percent, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced on November 29... The Vietnam Food Association reports that since early November, the price of rice for export has risen by 8 percent to US$490-500 per tonne. With the world’s demands remaining stable, Vietnam’s rice exports are expected to hit about 6.6 million tonnes, worth US$3.08 billion, in 2010.

The total export turnover is expected to hit US$70.8 billion for the whole year, an increase of 24 percent over 2009 and 16.5 percent above the projected target.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that most of the staples saw increases, especially rubber, cashew nuts, rice, chemicals, steel and steel-related products, means of transport, electrical cords and cables, and machinery. Only crude oil, cassava, and cassava products recorded lower revenues compared to the same period last year.

According to inter-ministerial statistics released by the Ministry, the country’s exports in November are predicted to hit US$6.45 billion, up 3.6 percent from October.

The November figure is only lower than that of August but higher than in the other months. Not considering gemstones and precious metals, this November has the highest export turnover since the beginning of 2010.
By November, Vietnam had fetched an estimated US$64.3 billion from exports, a 24.4 percent rise over the same period last year, which has made a positive contribution to the country’s GDP growth. On average, Vietnam has exported US$5.86 billion worth of goods every month since the beginning of the year.

Textiles and garments secure first position

This sector has always been one of Vietnam’s major export industries, growing at an annual rate of more than 17 percent.

Judging from its impressive growth in recent months it is predicted to earn over US$11 billion in export revenues in 2010, a 21.3 percent rise from 2009, and 5.1 percent above plan to enter the world’s top 10 exporters of textiles and garments.

November is the fifth consecutive month that its exports have earned more than US$ 1 billion to bring total revenues in the past 11 months to US$10.036 trillion.

The industry is overcoming obstacles related to labour, electricity sources, and the rising prices of inputs to boost production and fulfil export orders.

Le Van Dao, Vice President of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, affirmed the sector’s competitiveness in the years to come and revealed its target of becoming a cutting-edge export industry by 2015, with export earnings reaching US$20 billion and a local content of up to 60 percent. He said the industry will focus on specializing and cooperating to turn Vietnam into the regional fashion centre.

Soaring prices

Large export orders have sent the prices of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products soaring.

The Vietnam Food Association reports that since early November, the price of rice for export has risen by 8 percent to US$490-500 per tonne.

With the world’s demands remaining stable, Vietnam’s rice exports are expected to hit about 6.6 million tonnes, worth US$3.08 billion, in 2010.

The most dramatic increase is in the price of rubber with export turnover in November alone reaching about US$2 billion from 672,000 tonnes, nearly 86.4 percent higher than the same month of last year. In November, cashew nuts also made their way into the group of exports with revenues of US$1 billion or more.

Despite numerous hindrances from importers, the Vietnamese seafood industry has gradually strengthened its foothold in the world market and recently recorded its highest export growth. Its 2010 turnover is estimated to hit US$4.9 billion and surpass its yearly target by 6.5 percent. Tra fish and shrimp remain the industry’s strongest exports.

A global increase in coffee prices has encouraged Vietnamese farmers to take out loans and invest more in growing coffee trees intensively. Vietnam’s core zones for growing coffee trees have the potential to yield large amounts of raw materials. The country is expected to export US$1.74 billion worth of coffee this year.

Trade deficit curbed

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien said Vietnam’s trade deficit in 2010 is predicted to be US$12 billion with a rate of 17 percent, which is within the target set by the government.

Bien said consistent measures have helped limited importation, which is estimated at about US$82.8 billion.
According to inter-ministerial statistics, the November trade deficit stood at US$1.25 billion, or 19.38 percent of the aggregate export revenues, the highest of the past nine months. However, the import growth rate in the past 11 month is lower than its corresponding figure for export (24.5 percent).

Nonetheless, there are still causes for concern in the past two months, including a rise in the import of restricted commodities such as gemstones, precious metals and related products (mainly gold).

 Source: http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Vietnams-exports-see-breakthrough-in-2010/201011/121876.vov

Cassava News in Center Point

CASSAVA NEWS: Hoang Kim select and review of Cassava News in Center Point. Zambia: Mansa scientists develop resistant cassava. Vietnam's Environment-friendly Fuel Fails To Attract Consumer. Biological fuel fails to attract consumers.Biogasoline sales to resume next month. China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement leads to new business opportunities. (TIN SẮN: Hoàng Kim tuyển chọn và xem xét tin sắn ở điểm trung tâm. Zambia các nhà khoa học Mansa phát triển giống sắn kháng bệnh. Nhiên liệu thân thiện với môi trường của Việt Nam chưa hấp dẫn người tiêu dùng, giá bán xăng E5 là 15.500 đ so giá xăng A92 là 16.000đ chưa thu hút lái xe và họ còn e ngại chất lượng. Nhiên liệu sinh học tiếp tục được bán ở các tháng tiếp theo để tiếp thị. Hiệp định Thương mại Tự do Trung Quốc -ASEAN dẫn đến các cơ hội kinh doanh mới). see more ...

Niềm tin và nghị lực

Norman Bourlaug
FOODCROPS for news, research, teaching and transfer technology Thông tin về lúa, ngô, sắn, khoai lang, và hệ thống cây trồng  "Đời người tối thiểu phải ăn, kế đến là học tập, công việc, nhà ở, quần áo và chăm sóc sức khỏe. Quanh ta còn nhiều mảnh đời bất hạnh. Hiểm họa nghèo đói vẫn bùng phát bất cứ lúc nào. Hãy luôn nhớ điều đó." Lời của Thầy Norman Bourlaug và di sản của Người về cuộc cách mạng xanh mãi mãi là niềm tin và nghị lực của chúng ta.

Ăn học trên đồng (ảnh HL 2010)


NIỀM TIN VÀ NGHỊ LỰC
Số 1 - 2010


FOOD CROPS

Norman Borlaug di sản, niềm tin và nghị lực Hoàng Kim
Hiện trạng sắn Việt Nam và sự cải thiện giống sắn Hoàng Kim
Current situation of cassava in Vietnam and the breeding of improved cultivars Hoang Kim et al.
Giống khoai lang ở Việt Nam Hoàng Kim
Cây sắn Việt Nam hiện tại và tiếp nối Kazuo Kawano, Hoàng Kim
Cassava and Vietnam – Now and Then GS.TS Kazu Kawano
Cassava in Vietnam: a successful story Hoang Kim
Cây nhiên liệu sinh học Việt Nam điểm tin chọn lọc Hoảng Kim
Giống sắn KM140 Giải Nhất Hội thi Sáng tạo Kỹ thuật Toàn Quốc 2009
Trần Công Khanh, Hoàng Kim, Nguyễn Hữu Hỹ
Xây dựng nông thôn mới GSTS Nguyễn Văn Luật
Xây dựng thương hiệu cho lúa gạo Việt Nam TS Trần Văn Đạt

DẠY VÀ HỌC
Goodreads for Me Hoang Kim
Google câu chuyện thần kỳ HK điểm sách của David Vise và Mark Malseed
Thông dịch là chìa khóa mở cửa nhìn ra thế giới HK giới thiệu ba bài Văn Bảy
Rèn nhân cách để lập nghiệp HK giới thiệu bài của GS Nguyễn Đình Chú
Thích Thanh Từ biên khảo của Hoàng Kim
Nhớ Nguyễn Khải biên khảo của Hoàng Kim
Hoàng Đình Quang biên khảo của Hoàng Kim
Đến với những bài thơ hay HK giới thiệu thơ Nguyễn Duy
Đến với những bài thơ hay 2 HK giới thiệu thơ Phím chiến

THUNG DUNG
Dạo chơi non nước Việt, thơ Hoàng Kim
Trúc Lâm Yên Tử, thơ Hoàng Kim
Lên Yên Tử sưu tầm thơ đức Nhân Tông , thơ Hoàng Kim
Lời của Thầy theo mãi bước em đi , Hoàng Kim
Niềm vui lớn, Hoàng Kim
Học đi con , thơ Hoàng Kim
Những bài thơ em và tôi , thơ Hoàng Kim
Hoa đồng nội ,thơ Hoàng Kim
Tháng bảy mưa ngâu, thơ Hoàng Kim
Thư cho con giữa mùa thi, thơ Hoàng Kim

Dạy và học trực tuyến cây lúa

CÂY LƯƠNG THỰC. Ngân hàng kiến thức trồng lúa là trang tin điện tử của Viện Khoa học Nông nghiệp Việt Nam . Cơ quan chủ quản Bộ Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn. Trang tin này kết nối trực tuyến với  http://foodcrops.blogspot.com/ ; http://cayluongthuc.blogspot.com/  và http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cây_lương_thực  nhằm đem kiến thức nghề lúa đến cho mọi người bằng ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin trong dạy và học. (xem tiếp)