Bao Lam Lam Dong Province Success from high-tech application of bell pepper growing model

Bao Lam, Lam Dong is considered as the leading locality in plant breeding, especially the famous Robusta and Avocado 034 coffee varieties with good quality, sticky waxy yellow rice, and beautiful elongated shape. At the same time, the application of science and technology, especially the application of high technology to agricultural production, is of great interest to farmers.

For example, Mr. Pham Quang Thanh in hamlet 8, Loc Ngai commune, Bao Lam district has succeeded with the model of growing bell peppers in greenhouses applying high technology, bringing high economic efficiency. At the end of 2018, realizing the economic efficiency of bell pepper plants along with his passion, love of agriculture, and the desire to get rich in his hometown, Mr. Pham Quang Thanh boldly uprooted 1,000m2  of the old coffee tree area. poor productivity of the family to invest in building a greenhouse to grow bell peppers.

The initial investment cost was high and he did not have the experience and techniques to care for bell pepper plants, so the first crop he tried to plant on the ground, the results exceeded expectations. With that success, at the beginning of 2020 he boldly expanded another 1,000m2 greenhouse to invest in upgrading in the direction of applying high technology to the process of planting and caring for chili plants from the very beginning, chili plants are grown on media. were treated for pathogens before planting. In addition to the investment cost of making a greenhouse, he invested in an additional watering and fertilizing system for chili plants with control of the central controller connected to a smartphone.

The initial investment cost for 1,000m2 of bell pepper cultivation is about 300 million VND, with a planting density of 4,000 plants per 2,000 pots of growing medium. To ensure the source of disease-free seeds, Mr. Thanh ordered seeds and self-nurturing in foam trays 40 days before planting, which can be planted in the substrate. The chili varieties he grows are two varieties of yellow Bachata peppers from Peru and red Massalia peppers from Chile, which are popular in the market today. Compared to the cost of buying ready-made seedlings of about 5,000 VND/plant each, the seeds he imported were only 3,600 VND/seed, saving 6 million VND for 1,000m2.

The type of medium used for growing is coir that has been cleaned, the average cost for a potting medium is about 11,000 VND. Currently, a garden that has been planted for 70 days is giving ripe fruit, when the peppers turn ripe 2/3 of the garden, they will be harvested.

Thanh is taking care of the bell pepper garden to prepare for harvest

Thanks to the support of technology, taking care of 2,000 square meters of bell peppers only needs the couple he and his wife to take care of. Chili plants from the beginning of harvest can be harvested for 8-10 months if cared for well, each harvest is about 5 days apart. Each chili plant gives an average yield of about 6 kg/crop with the current chili price of 35,000 VND/kg. He earns more than 400 million VND/1,000m2/crop, after deducting expenses his family still earns more than 100 million VND. . Thanks to the bold investment that Thanh and his wife have acquired 2 greenhouses with high technology application in production, he intends to finish the chili crop and plant cantaloupe with a short harvest time, about 70 days to rotate. Cultivation of plants can both take advantage of the growing medium of chili peppers and increase income for the family.

According to Mr. Thanh shared: "Applying technology to production has a high initial cost, but it helps him reduce labor costs, improve the efficiency of using fertilizers and pesticides, and helps him control the epidemic well. diseases on crops, increase production, product quality should be sold at a higher price”.

Applying technology to agricultural production, which has traditionally been a field with hard manual work, now changes to a new production method to help farmers have a completely different working environment. Professional, economical, safe, gentler. The success of Mr. Thanh's high-tech application of bell pepper cultivation model confirms the choice of the right direction in the era of information technology development, contributing to overcoming the phenomenon of extreme weather to cope with change. Climate is always the challenge and the biggest threat to the agricultural industry today.

By: Agriculture and Forestry Extension  Dong