Based on his experience and initial successes in hydroponic vegetable production, Mr. Tran Van Manh boldly mobilized his brothers and friends to grow safe vegetables in the area to create a vegetable cooperative to produce products for the HCMC market.

Cu Chi Clean Vegetable Cooperative (Phu Hoa Dong Municipality, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City) was officially established with 8 members from the capital of about 100 million VND funded by the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City were supported to buy the original equipment. This is the prerequisite for the cooperative to have the motivation to rise up. So far, the cooperative has 12 members specializing in providing leafy greens, broccoli, collards and cabbage with a total area of ​​6,000 m2.

Currently, the cooperative also has 2 other members who adopt the high-tech hydroponic vegetable growing model. Every day, Cu Chi Clean Vegetables Cooperative supplies more than 1 ton of all kinds of leafy vegetables to traditional markets, Bach Hoa Xanh Supermarket, Sendo Farm…, of which about 300-400kg of hydroponic vegetables, including cabbage and lettuce, frequency screen… for supermarkets.

When people join the cooperative, they must commit to producing according to VietGAP standards, tracing the origin… In return, the cooperative will consume products, properly carry out the pre-processing and packaging of the vegetables and ensure food safety protection. Cooperative members can buy fertilizers, seeds, materials… at a cheaper price than buying them retail in the market.

In addition to tending and harvesting at his farm, Manh will collect vegetables from members of the cooperative every day to pre-process, pack and send to market, with the price of hydroponic vegetables ranging from 22,000 to 25,000 VND/kg, about 5,000 VND /kg higher than conventional vegetables.

Thanks to the application of technology; Fertilizers and materials are purchased at reasonable prices; Stable production has provided many cooperative members with a good income, on average between 10 and 15 million VND/person. It can be said that the model of high-tech application in hydroponic vegetable cultivation of Cu Chi Clean Vegetables Cooperative is one of the typical models of economic development of the cooperative in Phu Hoa Dong Municipality (Cu Chi District), and contributes to improving the quality of Die local agribusiness follows the direction of safe agriculture, and high-tech agriculture related to farmland in Cu Chi in particular and Ho Chi Minh City in general is progressively shrinking.

“Currently, people’s demand for clean vegetables is very high, especially after the Covid-19 epidemic, people are more health-conscious. The cooperative’s hydroponic vegetable production covers only 50% of customers’ needs. They want to take more, which we don’t have to offer either.

In the near future I will invest in the expansion of 2,000 m2 and at the same time I am looking forward to connecting the consumption with hydroponic vegetable farms of the same type to meet the demand of the market.

Those who want to grow hydroponic vegetables am willing to provide technical support, the cooperative also installs the greenhouse system. In the past I had no one to guide me, so I understood the difficulties faced by people who wanted to do clean farming and was always willing to guide me when someone needed it,” said Mr. Tran Van Manh, Director of Clean Vegetables Cooperative. Cu Chi said happily.

Ms. Nguyen Giang Thuan, vice chairwoman of the Farmers’ Association of Phu Hoa Dong Township (Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City), said the tradition of the township is to make rice paper. In the last 10 – 15 years, people have developed more vegetable production, but mainly cultivated by traditional methods.

“The Cu Chi Clean Vegetables Cooperative hydroponic vegetable growing model is pretty good and a new model that is being replicated and helping farmers apply science and technology to produce clean vegetables, increase productivity, control pests and diseases and ensure that they are safe and healthy Quality assurance can be provided for supermarket systems.

Recently, the Municipal Farmers’ Association has also supported farmers to learn science and technology application courses, to present products on Zalo, the fan page or at fairs, especially agricultural fairs organized by the farmers’ association.

The community farmers association also wants people to pay attention to the cultivation of clean vegetables with high technology application because of the high efficiency. If people lack capital, the association will help them access capital,” Ms. Thuan said.