Natural advantages and the synchronous participation of the political system

With the natural advantages of a cool temperate climate all year round, highland terrain, and fertile land, Moc Chau is very favorable for developing fruit trees with high economic value. In recent years, with the drastic participation of the entire political system from the district to the grassroots level and the proactiveness and positivity of the people, the area's fruit tree area has been constantly expanded.

By the end of 2024, the entire Moc Chau town will have 11,481 hectares of fruit trees, an increase of 8,530 compared to 2015 (a rise of 74.3%). Notable among these are typical trees that are economically efficient and suitable for natural conditions, such as plum (4,299 ha), longan (1,766 ha), mango (1,521 ha), orange (695 ha), avocado (582 ha), apricot (566 ha), banana (753 ha), etc. The total output of all kinds of fruit reached 55,830 tons, an increase of nearly 40,000 tons compared to 2015.

With suitable conditions, plum trees are one of the typical trees of Moc Chau.

The spectacular development of the fruit growing area is not only due to the reasonable conversion of crop structure but also to the orientation of developing production according to sustainable value chains. Cooperatives, enterprises, and households are encouraged to apply science and technology, use new varieties, advanced irrigation technology, and organic farming, thereby improving productivity, product quality, and economic efficiency. The average revenue is from 200-400 million VND/ha. Many model points reach from 800 million to 1 billion VND/ha - an impressive figure for agricultural production in mountainous areas.

Mutual agriculture tourism - a direction for developing a multi-value economy

With the view that "agriculture is the foundation to support tourism development.", Moc Chau town has remarkably implemented models combining agricultural production with the development of eco-tourism and experiential tourism.

A series of agricultural tourism products have appeared, attracting a large number of tourists such as experiencing plum picking, orange picking, and strawberry picking in the garden; taking photos in plum valleys, rose gardens, and apricot gardens; participating in the Fruit Picking Festival, Moc Chau International Marathon, etc. These activities create a unique mark for local tourism and increase the value of agricultural products, helping farmers have more income from services.

Moc Chau people harvest plums.

Many cooperatives have got hold of this to build a model combining agricultural product processing with tourism. Typical examples include the 19/5 Agricultural Development Service Cooperative with a plum wine processing model, Quyet Thanh Cooperative with crispy persimmons and dried bananas, or models of producing syrup and jam from strawberries, etc. Processing facilities create stable output for agricultural products but are also attractive sightseeing and shopping spots for tourists. Currently, the whole town has 39 OCOP products, of which 21 meet 3-star standards, and 18 are 4-star - proving the quality and competitiveness of Moc Chau agricultural products in the market.

Tourism contributes to promoting agricultural products and improving people's lives.

The connection between fruit trees and ecotourism has created a new driving force for the local economy. Not only does it contribute to increasing people's income and reducing the poverty rate, but this model also expands market access opportunities for Moc Chau agricultural products through promotional activities and experiences of domestic and foreign tourists.

Agricultural products are directly marketed in the garden, on online platforms, and through cultural tourism events - creating a strong spread and increasing brand value. Moc Chau is gradually asserting itself as a typical agricultural specialty production area associated with tourism in the Northwest

Development orientation in the coming time

To continue promoting the effectiveness of the agricultural model combined with eco-tourism, in the coming time, Moc Chau town needs to focus on several key solutions: completing the planning of fruit growing areas associated with sustainable tourism development, protecting the landscape and ecological environment, investing in transport infrastructure, and rural tourism facilities, especially in key fruit-growing acreage, encouraging the formation of community tourism spots, and experiential eco-farms; supporting people and cooperatives to improve tourism skills, strengthening trade promotion and digital transformation in promoting, selling, and introducing Moc Chau agricultural-tourism products to domestic and foreign markets, supporting the development of more high-quality OCOP products, combining the development of agricultural product brands associated with the unique tourism image of Moc Chau.

The model of developing fruit trees associated with ecotourism in Moc Chau is in the right direction in line with the trend of sustainable agricultural development and circular economy. This is also a crucial solution in the socio-economic development strategy associated with new rural construction, labor restructuring, and livelihood creation for people. With the achieved results and clear development orientation, Moc Chau can become a pioneer model for the entire Northwest region in developing multi-value agriculture associated with green and community tourism in the future.

Tuan Quoc

Translated by Tuan Minh Dang