Farmers embrace digital transformation for integration

With the advantage of being in the most dynamic industrial province in the country, farmers in Dong Nai have developed numerous unique investment models in agricultural production, driven by a wealth of innovative ideas and creativity that yield high efficiency.

Le Loc Quan, owner of Quan Phat Honey Facility (in Dau Giay commune), introduces the honeycomb beekeeping model, which gains high economic efficiency. Photo: B. Nguyen

Following the administrative merger, Dong Nai province has become one of the largest and most populous regions in the country, with a high proportion of farmers within the total population, underscoring the increasingly vital role of farmers in production development. In the context of integration, traditional farmers must progressively become more professional and savvy, adept at applying science and technology and closely linking with businesses and cooperatives.

Proud to become outstanding farmers

Recently, on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Central Vietnam Farmers’ Union, Luong Quoc Doan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, and Head of the Steering Committee for the 2025 “Proud Vietnamese Farmers” Program, signed the decision recognizing the Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers of 2025. Among them, Le Loc Quan, owner of Quan Phat Honey Facility (in Dau Giay Commune), is one of two farmers from Dong Nai province honored with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2025.” This recognition is not only a personal achievement for these farmers but also reaffirms the role and position of the farming class in the country’s industrialization and modernization efforts.

Sharing his success story, Le Loc Quan recalled: After the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s honey exports faced significant challenges as consumption markets stalled. In particular, the beekeeping industry encountered a major crisis when the United States launched an anti-dumping investigation on Vietnamese honey products and imposed high tariffs on them. Additionally, importing countries implemented various trade defense measures and increased technical barriers, causing honey prices to plummet and making it difficult to sell the product.

At the scientific seminar titled "Vietnamese Farmers – From Tradition to Professionalism and Intelligence," Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam emphasized the importance of building a professional image of farmers, those who are proficient in applying science and technology and closely connected with businesses and cooperatives. He also emphasized the importance of implementing effective policies and mechanisms to support the vocational development of farmers, including training tailored to market demands and promoting digital transformation in agriculture. These efforts should be complemented by encouraging value-chain-based production linkages, strengthening agricultural extension services, and enhancing rural infrastructure.

Through his research, Quan discovered that comb honey is a premium honey product highly valued by many countries worldwide. Despite facing numerous challenges at the time, he boldly transformed his approach and became a pioneer in producing comb honey in Dong Nai province.

Since then, Quan Phat Honey Facility has successfully exported its comb honey products to the South Korean market and several European countries, generating high profits as the export price of comb honey is three to four times higher than traditional honey. Particularly, domestic and export demand for this specialty honey remains very strong, prompting Quan Phat Honey Facility to collaborate with many beekeepers, providing technical training and guaranteeing product purchase for them. The facility also offers a diverse range of honey products, including traditional honey, pollen, royal jelly, and refined honey sugar. It places great emphasis on branding and product labeling. Currently, the facility has two products certified under the OCOP program: centrifugal honey and comb honey.

Nguyen Van Khon, Head of the Professional Farmers’ Association for the cultivation of the medicinal plant Xao Tam Phan (Hung Thinh Commune), is the only farmer from Dong Nai province honored as an Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer in 2024. He is also the Director of ETZ Pharmaceutical Development Investment Joint Stock Company, specializing in the deep processing of products derived from  Paramignya trimera tree (Burkill).

Paramignya trimera is a semi-desert plant that typically grows wild in the mountainous regions of Central Vietnam. When China offered high prices to purchase Paramignya trimera, locals rushed to harvest it, putting this valuable medicinal plant at risk of extinction. Originally trained as a telecommunications engineer, Khon’s turning point to become a farmer cultivating and processing Paramignya trimera products came after a family member was diagnosed with cancer. In 2011, he accidentally learned about the “miraculous” Paramignya trimera through an article and began using it as a supportive treatment for cancer. Fortunately, his family member recovered. Since then, he has delved deeper into researching this precious medicinal plant.

Alongside investing in raw material cultivation areas, Khon also collaborates on research and development of products derived from Paramignya trimera. Currently, ETZ Pharmaceutical Development Investment Joint Stock Company has developed five product lines, including two health supplement products and three regular products. Notably, two products, Phuc Hung Long Essential and Phuc Hung Long Premium, have been awarded 5-star OCOP certification.

Formation of a “digital” farmer class

The success stories of outstanding farmers from Dong Nai province are clear evidence that farmers can fully master technology, innovate, and elevate agricultural products to international standards, thereby contributing significantly to the economic development of both the province and the country as a whole.

Following the administrative merger, Dong Nai now has 95 farmer association branches, over 1,800 sub-branches, and nearly 192,100 farmer members. In the context of the country’s continued efforts to streamline organizational structures, aiming for higher efficiency, effectiveness, and performance, alongside the rapid explosion of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, strong momentum has been created to drive growth. This reality presents an opportunity for Dong Nai in particular, and Vietnam in general, to break through and enter an era of prosperous development, one that prominently includes the farming community.

According to Nguyen Van Giang, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Farmers’ Association, to meet new demands, the provincial association is focusing on building a capable team of officials at all levels, especially key leaders, ensuring continuity, succession, and development. In this new phase, the association is strengthening staff presence at grassroots levels, particularly in disadvantaged areas, remote regions, and key locations where new models are piloted to challenge and cultivate political resilience and comprehensive leadership skills among officials.

The Dong Nai Farmers’ Association continues to innovate and enhance the quality and effectiveness of its movements, fostering substantive changes that drive a strong shift in crop and livestock restructuring. At the same time, it is working to transform farmers’ mindsets from a focus on agricultural production to an agricultural economy mindset, developing large-scale, high-quality commodity crop zones with strong economic value and competitiveness in both domestic and export markets.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Dong, Principal of the Institute for Public Policy and Rural Development, emphasizes that farmers are at the core of this transformation and must be empowered to utilize their intellect and creativity, making meaningful contributions to sustainable agricultural development. Farmers are not only the direct producers of agricultural goods but also key participants across the entire agricultural value chain, from production and processing to consumption. Equipped with knowledge, management skills, and the ability to apply science and technology, farmers will become pivotal actors in the modernization of agriculture.

One of the key solutions to developing a professional farmer workforce is the implementation of preferential policies and support for unsecured loans, the adoption of new crop varieties and technologies, and participation in pilot agricultural extension programs, technology transfer initiatives, and value chain–based production models.

By Binh Nguyen - Translated by Hong Van, Minho