Binh Dien Fertilizer growing with success of farmers

Photo: BFC

The buffalo head symbol of Binh Dien Fertilizer has become very familiar with farmers all around Vietnam.

The Vietnam Farmer Prize for 30 Years of Doi Moi program was held on October 14 in Hanoi, attended by 87 excellent farmers from around Vietnam.

As a co-creator of the program for the past five years, Mr. Le Quoc Phong, CEO of the Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company (BFC), said the company has developed thanks to farmers, so BFC does its best to help them improve their incomes and living standards. “Honoring excellent Vietnamese farmers is a way for Binh Dien to thank them,” he said.

Friend of farmers

In order to support farmers, Binh Dien has published a range of agricultural techniques, fertilizer manuals, and the “Binh Dien” newspaper, which are free for farmers. The company also organized seminars and fertilizer tests to exchange experience. Two programs had particularly good results: “Companion and Sharing” and “Smart Rice Cultivation”.

“Companion and Sharing” is a program on crop nutrition, organized by VTV Can Tho in collaboration with BFC. “I have had many opportunities to meet farmers and all have said this is a good program because it provides them with effective solutions for fertilizer use,” said Associate Professor Mai Thanh Phung, Head of the Southern Resident Department at the National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC).

Coming two years after “Companion and Sharing”, the “Smart Rice Cultivation” program was also welcomed by farmers. It aims at helping them stay abreast of the latest information and respond effectively to climate change with new, smart farming methods that bring high efficiency in agriculture. It is considered to meet the needs of farmers, bringing high efficiency to agricultural productivity and ensuring the quality of green products.

Expanding internationally

Not only focusing on domestic market development, BFC has a presence in and gained remarkable achievements in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. More than 15 years ago, it started to export fertilizer to Cambodia. From consumption of 2,000 tons in 2002, it now exports 100,000 tons per year. BFC’s fertilizer has seen stable consumption in 26 cities and provinces in Cambodia, bringing in over $50 million in export value.

Binh Dien also persistently transfers advanced agricultural techniques to farmers on major crops such as rice, corn, cassava, sugarcane, cashew nuts, and rubber. Cambodia’s agricultural productivity in recent years has improved, with rice productivity rising from 1.5 tons to 5-6 tons per hectare, partly contributed by BFC’s fertilizer. Cambodia decided to award its Grade-1 Medal to CEO Phong.

Since its success in Cambodia, BFC has been promoting its target markets of Myanmar and Thailand. According to Mr. Phan Van Tam, Board Member and Marketing Director at BFC, over recent years the company’s products have been distributed in Myanmar and won the trust of farmers.

The level of cultivation techniques used by Myanmar farmers remains limited, while the area for rice cultivation is quite large. The goal of BFC in the market is not only the fertilizer business but also applying farming processes and improving the efficiency of fertilizer use. The construction of factories in the country will help the company save on transportation costs.

In Thailand, BFC is determined to offer products for each type of crop and promises to reap impressive success.

Successful on the way to business and integration, BFC is also a typical enterprise in the implementation of corporate social responsibility. Every year, thousands of scholarships have been presented to students around the country, through funds such as “Raising the Dream”, “For the Future of Vietnam”, and “Encouraged to School”.

This year, Binh Dien has sponsored VND3.5 billion ($154,000) out of a total of VND9.5 billion ($418,000) it called for from other businesses to launch a campaign to help poor and studious students around Vietnam.