The people's credit fund of Moc Chau Farm town, Moc Chau district on January 17 held a meeting reviewing its performance in 2023 and launching tasks for 2024.

Implementing the province's policy on growing fruit trees on sloping land, Chieng Son commune of Moc Chau district has focused on developing high-tech agriculture and organic production.

The science-technology sector of Son La province has contributed to addressing urgent issues, and created an impulse for local socio-economic development thanks to the high applicability of its tasks.

Son La province currently has over 5,850 hectares of tea, mainly in Moc Chau, Van Ho, Yen Chau, Bac Yen, and Thuan Chau districts.

Strawberry was first planted in Moc Chau district more than 10 years ago. Compatible with the soil and climate in the mountainous region, strawberry has gradually asserted itself as a strong crop, bringing high economic efficiency to local people.

Son La province is operating 280 safe agricultural and aquatic food supply chains, including 38 safe vegetable chains, with an area of 318 hectares; 175 safe fruit chains (mango, longan, plum, passion fruit, avocado, orange, grapefruit, strawberry and dragon fruit), 4,226 hectares; five coffee chains, 2,160 hectares; 10 tea chains, 544 hectares; two rice chains, 130 hectares; four pork chains, with a capacity of 35,000 pigs; three safe chicken chains, with 62,500 chickens; seven safe honey chains, with 6,854 bee colonies; 21 aquaculture chains on the Son La hydropower reservoir; two smoked meat chains; 11 safe agricultural and aquatic product processing chains; and two agricultural product business chains. 

The People's Committee of Muong Bu commune, Muong La district on January 10 organized the first fruit picking festival 2024, themed "Giant Jujubes of Muong La".

Son La’s aquatic output was estimated at 9,437 tonnes in 2023, up 3.44% year-on-year, according to the provincial Statistics Office.

Van Ho district’s fruit output reached over 10,800 tonnes in 2023, exceeding the yearl plan by 15.7%.

As of December 31, 2023, capital mobilisation of credit institutions in Son La province had reached 32.4 trillion VND (1.33 billion USD), up 7.88% year-on-year; and their total outstanding balance hit 45.5 trillion VND (1.87 billion), up 2%.

Perennial crop production in Son La remained stable in 2023, with the areas of some trees expanded. Localities paid attention to intensive farming and increasing productivity. Such major trees as mango, plum and longan saw high outputs thanks to the expansion of their areas. 

The total retail sales of goods in Son La province in 2023 hit about 31.33 trillion VND (1.28 billion USD), an increase of 15.34% year-on-year.

Son La saw changes in many aspects of digital transformation in 2023. Notably, its digital economy has been taking shape and developing.

In the last days of the lunar year, industrial clusters in Son La province are bustling with trucks transporting goods and workers rushing to production shifts. Overcoming a difficult year, factories in the province's industrial zones and clusters have dynamic business strategies that suit market developments.

Ly has been known as a special orange variety in Moc Chau Plateau since 2011 when a household successfully grafted the Australian Navel orange variety onto the trunks of local grapefruit and orange trees.

Developing organic, high-tech agriculture, Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district is now home to 156 establishments growing 107 hectares of vegetables, flowers and strawberries in net houses and greenhouses.

Tapping the advantages and potential of the Hoa Binh hydropower reservoir area, Moc Chau district has encouraged farmers to develop aquaculture. Now the whole district has 124 hectares of aquaculture and 325 fish cages.

Keeping pace with the development trend of science and technology, many businesses in Son La province have paid attention to renovating, upgrading and investing in modern, automated machinery systems and production lines, towards the goal of greening production.

Son La province currently has nearly 5,850 hectares of tea, with the main varieties of Kim Tuyen, Shan, Van Son, and Olong. Since the beginning of this year, the output of fresh tea buds has reached 51,430 tonnes, up 0.62% year-on-year.

The provincial Department of Science and Technology coordinated with the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences to organize a scientific conference on the current situation and solutions for developing strawberry in Son La province associated with building the “Son La Strawberry” brand in Moc Chau district on December 22.