A herd of cows in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang's Meo Vac District. The district is focusing on raising cattle and developing its own brand for mountainous cows raised by H'mong families. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngo Lich
HA GIANG (VNS)— Residents in Meo Vac District, which has a rocky terrain and is considered one of the poorest areas in Viet Nam, are focusing on raising cattle.
Years ago, Theo Seo Lu, a resident in Pa Vi Commune in the district, complained that his family had only corn or corn flour to eat most of the time because that was all they could grow.
In 2010, the family received VND21 million (US$1,000) as a supporting loan from the Government to buy three cows. In addition, it also received technical support from the district’s agricultural extension department.
Lu said he used the money to buy calves for fattening at the local markets. Hundreds of other H’mong families in the same commune have done the same thing.
Nguyen Chi Thuong, chairman of the Meo Vac People’s Committee, said the rocky mountain was suitable for raising beef cattle.
Since 2010, nearly 1,740 households in the district have borrowed nearly VND30 billion ($1.4 million) for raising beef cattle. The number of buffaloes and cows in the district has risen from 1,643 in 2000 to about 31,500.
Each year the district supplies about 4,000 beasts for the market.
Ha Giang is planning to develop its own brand for mountain cows raised by H’mong families.
At a recent forum on cattle husbandry, authorities examined ways of tightening cattle production to meet market demands in the lowlands.
Pham Thi Ha, deputy director of the Ha Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in many countries, beef accounted for 70 per cent of meat consumption while in Viet Nam, it was only eight per cent.
However, domestic production still can’t meet the demand, and about 2,000-3,000 cows are smuggled into the country on a daily basis, mostly through the border with Laos and Cambodia, she said.
However, a representative from the Yen Bai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in the mountain beef cattle was raised according to outdated techniques – and the food was low-quality grass.
But most participants agreed that the terrain of northern mountainous provinces, which has large forest coverage, was quite suitable for raising cows, horses, goats.
Phan Huy Thong, head of the National Agricultural Extension Department, said the potential existed, but localities must increase large-scale production and market knowledge. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
