An agricultural boost in Loc Thanh border commune

Despite harsh natural conditions, rocky soil, and a dry climate, the people of Loc Thanh border commune, Dong Nai province, have persistently sought new directions for agriculture. With a spirit of daring to think, daring to do, and boldly innovating production mindset, many households have successfully built large-scale cultivation and livestock models, generating billions of VND in revenue each year, contributing to a clear transformation in the economic and social life of the border region.

Bringing coconut trees to rocky land

Loc Thanh is one of 8 border communes in Dong Nai province, with a large area of agricultural land, but most of it is gray, degraded soil, difficult to grow long-term industrial crops such as rubber, cashew, pepper... Faced with the challenge of choosing suitable crops, many households boldly brought coconut trees, which are familiar in the Mekong Delta, to experiment on this harsh land.

Coconut farming model of Pham Thi Thuy Linh's household in Hamlet 7, Loc Thanh commune. Photo: Thanh Tuyen

The results have been very positive. To date, the entire commune has nearly 40 hectares of well-developed coconut trees that have begun to yield stable harvests. A typical example is the model of Pham Thi Thuy Linh in Hamlet 7 with over 11,000 pineapple-scented coconut and Siamese coconut trees on an area of 31 hectares. After more than 2 years, the coconut trees have started to bear fruit, with each tree averaging about 10 bunches per year.

Provincial Party Committee member, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Loc Thanh commune Tran Hoang Truc and specialized departments and agencies visit the coconut farming model of Pham Thi Thuy Linh's household. Photo: Thanh Tuyen

Currently, Linh harvests 18 times a year, with each harvest yielding about 15,000 fruits, supplying the market at an average price of 10,000 VND/fruit. From the first year of harvest, the model has generated billions of VND in revenue and continues to increase as the fruiting area enters a stable period.

Linh said: "The coconut garden is invested with an automatic irrigation system, regular weeding and cleaning to limit pests and diseases. My family is completing the application for VietGAP certification and a growing area code, aiming for export in the near future."

Not only coconut trees, the integrated economic model of Nguyen Van Thuy in Hamlet 8B is also a bright spot in Loc Thanh's agriculture.

In 1996, Thuy and his wife came to Loc Thanh to start a business with nothing but their bare hands. After a period of working as hired laborers and saving up, he bought more than 3 rods of land to grow pepper. Thanks to the technical support from the communal Farmers' Association and practical experience, the pepper garden developed well, bringing stable income. From this foundation, he invested in more land to grow durian trees and currently owns 3 hectares of durian. In the 2025 crop, he harvested 45 tons, an unexpected number in the context of erratic weather.

Deer farming model for velvet antler of Nguyen Van Thuy, Hamlet 8B, Loc Thanh commune. Photo: Thanh Tuyen

In addition to cultivation, he also developed a deer farming model for velvet antler with 33 deer. A healthy deer with normal antler growth can yield 700-800 grams of velvet antler a year, with the current selling price of 1.8 to 2 million VND per 100 grams, averaging 13 to 16 million VND per year per deer. Besides, Thuy operates an ancient wooden house carpentry workshop, creating livelihoods for 15 local laborers with an income of 10-15 million VND a month. After deducting expenses, his family earns over 1 billion VND each year.

Thuy also actively supports the community, helping 15 farmer members access production techniques, of which 5 households have sustainably escaped poverty. In 2023, he was recognized as a provincial outstanding farmer in production and business.

Working with farmers to open up modern agricultural development

Currently, Loc Thanh commune has over 5,380 hectares of agricultural land, of which agriculture, forestry, and fisheries account for up to 67% of the economic structure. To promote land potential and improve people's income, the commune has focused on implementing the program "One typical production model per hamlet", promoting the application of technical advances and developing the collective economy. To date, the entire commune maintains and has newly established 6 cooperatives and cooperative groups for clean pepper, fruit trees, and livestock; 6 branches and professional associations for raising hybrid wild pigs, cattle, producing and processing Soc rice... with over 100 members.

Models such as coconut cultivation, durian cultivation, and integrated farm development have initially shown clear effectiveness, affirming the correct direction in the local restructuring of crops and livestock.

During the field survey, Provincial Party Committee member, Secretary of the Party Committee, and Chairman of the People's Council of the commune, Tran Hoang Truc, directly visited the models, commending the people's spirit of daring to think and daring to do. At the same time, he requested specialized departments and agencies to continue accompanying and supporting farmers with production techniques, trade promotion, brand building, planting area codes, and completing VietGAP certification dossiers... so that the models can expand in scale and aim for export.

Loc Thanh promotes the application of technology, digital transformation, and the development of characteristic OCOP products for each cooperative. Photo: Thanh Tuyen

Identifying agriculture as the pillar of economic development, Loc Thanh aims to promote the application of information technology, science and technology, and digital transformation in production; build concentrated planting areas, planting area codes, key products, and aim for each cooperative to have a characteristic digitized OCOP product. This is considered an important direction to improve agricultural productivity and quality, increase competitiveness, and adapt to climate change.

In the harsh border region, where nearly 34% of the population are ethnic minorities, the perseverance and creativity of Loc Thanh farmers are contributing to changing the face of the rural economy. Difficult-to-overcome models such as "bringing coconut trees to the border region" or closed-loop farm economies not only help people get rich but also open up a direction for modern, sustainable agricultural development, creating a foundation for Loc Thanh to rise strongly in the coming years.

By Thanh Tuyen-Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha