Choosing the right path

Nearly ten years ago the concept of “high-tech agriculture” was still fresh to the public’s knowledge. U&I Agriculture Corporation (Unifarm) appeared as the one who walked the first step on this path in Binh Duong, deeply investing in high-tech agricultural model.

Now the popularity of high-tech agricultural models is rising in all regions of the country. Many businesses have affirmed their stature and position, and their products have had a certain foothold in the world market. And Unifarm remains a big shot in the industry.

After thirteen years of establishment from round zero, Unifarm has grown strongly with the number of employees, experts and engineers up to over 400 people. Unifarm has become a familiar name for domestic supermarkets and international traders. A stable and constantly growing customer base is a prerequisite and an important inspiration for the company to continue to invest, diversify products and further expand the market.

“The agriculture industry has its own characteristics, unlike industrial production where only standard machines and production lines are needed to create homogeneous products. Agriculture does not have a chain of machines to produce a series of homogenous products, instead it greatly depends on factors that humans cannot control 100% such as soil, climate, and weather," said Mr. Pham Quoc Liem.

When deciding to invest in precision agriculture, Unifarm has made long-term preparations. Mr. Pham Quoc Liem, Chairman of Uinfarm, said, “In the early years we experimented with cantaloupe and 20 other vegetables and fruits, each in an area of 1 - 5 ha. Investments for research and testing at that time were massive. After 3 years of trials and errors we were able to select our main crops that both satisfy suitable production conditions and favorable consumption market.”

Unifarm was the first unit in the country that grows cantaloupe in a greenhouse with a scale of 1 ha. The system was controlled by computer, and the technology was imported from Israel. And thus the output products met GlobalGAP standards right from the first crop in September 2010.

“Our cantaloupe products are now consumed in big supermarkets nationwide and exported to a number of countries in Asia, sparking the fire for the cantaloupe growing movement of in many localities.”

Embrace the risks and invest

Sharing his thoughts about Unifarm's achievements today, Mr. Pham Minh Tiep, Unifarm Technician, Deputy Director of Technology, said, “One of the important factors leading to Unifarm's success today is our right orientation from day one. And from the right orientation, we did the right thing: embraced the risks and just stayed firm on our investment.”

In recent years, the concept of "high-tech agriculture" has become more and more popular. However, not everyone can claim success. The reason usually lies in the lack of in-depth investment and their haste in implementation. As for Unifarm, it can be said that the success is solid because the unit does things methodically, slowly but surely, with short-term and long-term strategies, rather than rushing to invest in an industrial style which leads to loss of control.

In its orientation, Unifarm does not identify itself to be the largest agricultural company in terms of area or output and market consumption rate. For each of its specific products, Unifarm and its affiliates aim to be a production unit that can attain the highest product quality according to world standards.

“In the long run we want to see our image in the general development of Vietnam's agriculture, where both Vietnamese farmers and consumers are satisfied and proud to be able to produce and enjoy Agricultural products are produced in Vietnam according to the highest standards of the world. I and my forts always have a detailed plan for this big goal," said Mr. Pham Minh Tiep.

Translated by Samuel Pham