Danang, which is a leader in “smart city” technologies in Vietnam and which has been called Vietnam’s “Most Livable City” is now seeing to take a lead in “Smart Agriculture” and is seeing $66 million USD for investment in five high-tech farms with plans to create a center for hi-tech-farming in the central region.
The farms are part of the city’s hi-tech farm master plan that will include herb gardens, livestock farms, mushroom, organic and safe-vegetable farms, a food processing center, a fishing port and fish trading center on 144 hectares of land.
In order to attract investment, the city is offering financial support for investors, including slashing the land-clearance fee by 50% per hectare for five years. The city will also provide financial support for investors by giving them 20 million VND a hectare each year for five-years.
Ho Ky Minh, Vice Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee said that the hi-tech farm project will provide unique products for the city’s tourists and will increase the city’s agriculture value chain. He said agriculture now contributes about 2% per to the city’s revenue and that this percentage is expected to increase.
Director of Viet Nam’s Institute of Economic Studies, Tran Dinh Thien, suggested the city’s agriculture sector should be restructured to host waves of mass investment. He said the city’s farms must create products for tourism as well as attract local and foreign investors.
Earlier this year, the city planned seven suburban communes to boost high quality and safe agriculture in the Hoa Vang District over a total area of 540 hectares and it also allocated 130 hectares for safe vegetable farming and 310 hectares for aquaculture and livestock.
The city has a total of 50 farms, but these provide only 10%of the demand for vegetables and farm produce for the city’s one million population who consume 145,000 tons of seafood and 140,000 tons of vegetables each year. The city hopes that its investment into the “Smart Farming” sector will increase the number of businesses supplying agriculture and food products to the local population and increase the city’s attractiveness in years to come.
Danang, which is a leader in “smart city” technologies in Vietnam and which has been called Vietnam’s “Most Livable City” is now seeing to take a lead in “Smart Agriculture” and is seeing $66 million USD for investment in five high-tech farms with plans to create a center for hi-tech-farming in the central region.