Laying the foundation for quality hydroponic farming

Rijk Zwaan Vietnam Company has been one of the pioneers in introducing hydroponic lettuce cultivation technology to Vietnam since 2013. With this new farming technology, farmers and companies have created products that meet both productivity increase and quality improvement, and meet the needs of domestic and foreign salad markets.

Mr. Dang Van Nien, General Manager of Rijk Zwaan Vietnam Company, said that lettuce is a traditional crop and is widely grown in our country, but hydroponic production techniques were only developed 8 years ago. 10 years ago.

With hydroponic lettuce production techniques, growers can be proactive in production and accurately calculate production to meet the needs of contractors. In particular, the products are safe for health, beautiful in design, diverse… and meet the different needs of customers.

Mr. Tran Van Ky Thoai, lettuce research expert at Rijk Zwaan Vietnam Company, said that the trend of switching from hydroponic lettuce to hydroponic lettuce is being developed. Hydroponic lettuce production has many advantages, such as the ability to grow densely and grow more plants in the same space.

“This helps to produce optimally, suitable for the condition that agricultural areas are increasingly shrinking,” said Mr. Thoai, adding that the hydroponic lettuce production model produces products with high yield and high safety.

Accordingly, the hydroponic system is not tied to the soil environment and therefore avoids pests, diseases and toxins in the soil. In addition, growers can produce many varieties at the same time to meet market demand. Hydroponic lettuce in particular has a competitive advantage as it anticipates the current trend towards safe and quality food consumption.

Rijk Zwaan Vietnam is one of the first companies to introduce hydroponic lettuce technology to Vietnam and in particular to develop completely new varieties previously unavailable in the Vietnamese market such as B. Glass lettuce and Salanova lettuce. …

When these product lines are made in Vietnam, they have created a “new wind” with high economic value (10-12 litters/year compared to 2-3 harvests/year according to traditional farming). The economic value is about VND 10-12 billion/ha/year) and meet consumer needs such as salad, grilled meat rolls, use in hot dishes (pho, noodles, hot pot), highly acidic dishes such as vinegar…

Gardeners make “huge” income from hydroponic lettuce

In Lam Dong, many farmers and companies have invested in developing hydroponic lettuce production model and achieved high profitability. Pham Thi Thu Cuc, Director of Bach Cuc Flower Forest Company Limited (Lat Municipality, Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province) said that she was one of the first people to adopt the hydroponic lettuce production model in Vietnam.

Ms. Cuc said that she first developed the economy with the tomato cultivation model. During a field visit of a hydroponic vegetable model in Malaysia organized by Rijk Zwaan in 2014, she realized that she could use this model effectively and she started investing with an initial area of ​​around 1,000 m2. Hydroponic salad products were then marketed from domestic supermarket systems to the garden, placed on a purchase agreement and this model was then continuously expanded by her.

“Compared to hydroponics, hydroponics avoids many pests and diseases, there is no need to spray toxic pesticides, and the water source is also thoroughly controlled, so it is very safe. Currently, the company supplies around 600-800 kg of hydroponic lettuce to the market every day. The selling price of these products is much higher than that of ordinary vegetables, especially through the access to the market of high-end supermarkets, convenience store chains in cities and urban areas across the country, so the market expansion in the middle and south high-end is very big,” said Ms. Cuc.

Ỏ Duc Trong (Lam Dong) District, Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong, Director of Phong Thuy Agricultural Products Company, also worked with Rijk Zwaan Vietnam Company to develop a hydroponic lettuce model many years ago.

According to Mr. Phong, lettuce has long been cultivated by farmers in Lam Dong. However, the production of ground lettuce is influenced by many factors such as weather, environment, soil, etc. In Lam Dong, the weather pattern includes wet and dry seasons, so outdoor ground lettuce production faces many difficulties in arranging crops. Vegetables grown in the ground are often affected by sun and rain and are particularly vulnerable to pests and diseases. Producers who want to be effective have to put in a lot of effort and rely on a lot of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc.

“Growing hydroponic lettuce in a greenhouse is one of the solutions to overcome almost all of the above problems. With hydroponic technology, the investment costs for the model are many times higher than usual, but we can produce efficiently all year round. Create products with higher quality and value many times more,” said Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong.

At present, Phong Thuy Agricultural Products Company’s agricultural production covers over 100 hectares, including about 5 hectares of hydroponic lettuce. This company’s hydroponic vegetable products are supplied to the market in Ho Chi Minh City and across the country. Every year, the company delivers about 10,000 to 12,000 tons of all kinds of vegetables to the market, especially about 1,500 tons of hydroponic lettuce per year. Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong said, “The economic value of hydroponic lettuce is very high. With a production of 1 ha, the turnover can reach up to VND 5-8 billion/year. Hydroponic vegetables are now occupying a special place in consumer trends.

According to Mr. Dang Van Nien, General Manager of the Rijk Zwaan Vietnam Company, the company currently accompanies and stands alongside farmers across the country. Rijk Zwaan always researches, selects, creates and markets top quality lettuce varieties to meet the production needs of people and companies. On average, Rijk Zwaan brings about 50 million seeds of hydroponic vegetables to Vietnam every year and is growing by 15% per year.

“In addition to providing new, high-quality varieties, Rijk Zwaan also supports people and companies in ensuring modern and efficient production techniques. In particular, Rijk Zwaan has accompanied and connected people and companies that produce hydroponic vegetables with domestic and foreign customers to help them expand the market.”

Rijk Zwaan seed has been present in Vietnam since 2009 and Rijk Zwaan Vietnam was founded in Vietnam in 2017 with the aim of developing high-quality greenhouse vegetable varieties, transferring scientific advances and high-tech vegetable growing techniques to farmers and growers with consumers through sustainable values to connect chains that bring greater profits to farmers. With more than 10 years of operation in Vietnam, the greenhouse-grown seed brand Rijk Zwaan has confirmed itself.

In addition to developing and supplying high-quality vegetable varieties for production, Rijk Zwaan Vietnam also strives to build a team of increasingly qualified employees to guide and support customers on technical matters. Farming, building product brands, connecting supply chain partners…

Rijk Zwaan Vietnam believes that an ever more diverse and high-quality range of varieties together with a team of passionate professionals will help improve the vegetable industry in Vietnam, especially high-tech vegetable farming.