Reorganizing agricultural production

The province is currently reshaping its agriculture toward “high efficiency, rapid development, safety, and sustainability,” aiming to increase farmers’ incomes.

Between 2021 and 2024, the province focused on improving the quality and added value of staple crop production. Localities have actively reclaimed and rehabilitated rice-growing land, increasing the wet rice area to 30,842 hectares, with an output of 172,013 tons, including over 11,000 hectares of high-quality rice varieties such as Séng Cù, Bắc Thơm No.7, J02, Hana 102, and sticky rice. Specialty rice production areas have been established in Điện Biên, Mường Ảng, and Tuần Giáo districts, and Điện Biên Phủ city. Over 5,200 hectares of inefficient upland rice and maize fields have been converted to other crops. As a result, the total grain output by the end of 2024 is estimated to exceed 284,909 tons, a 6.3% increase from 2020 and surpassing the 2025 target of 280,000 tons.

In parallel with food crops, localities have encouraged residents to improve mixed gardens and cultivate sloped land with a focus on commercial farming, forming raw material zones for processing and value chain development. To date, the province has 4,134.4 hectares of fruit trees (up 1,093.2 hectares compared to 2020), with five concentrated zones in Tuần Giáo, Mường Ảng, Điện Biên, and Mường Chà districts, and Điện Biên Phủ city. Coffee cultivation covers more than 4,358 hectares, primarily in Mường Ảng and Tuần Giáo districts. Macadamia has also seen strong growth, with 13 projects planned over 61,223 hectares. Currently, over 9,716.89 hectares of macadamia trees have been planted, with about 1,000 hectares yielding harvests.

Tuần Giáo stands out as a model for agricultural restructuring, especially in coffee and macadamia development. In 2024 alone, the district planted 1,032.7 hectares of new coffee trees, 516.4% of the annual target, bringing the total area to 1,578.71 hectares, with 491.9 hectares under harvest, yielding an estimated 700 tons. In 2025, the district aims to plant over 2,000 hectares of new coffee; nearly 3,900 households have registered to cultivate 2,339.5 hectares.

In livestock, the province has focused on restructuring toward increasing the proportion of poultry and large livestock, while promoting grass-fed animal husbandry. Efforts have also been made to accelerate pig restocking using modern technology and disease control. Since 2021, the livestock sector has seen steady recovery with average annual growth rates of 3% for livestock and 2.7% for poultry.

In forestry, the province continues to manage, protect, and expand forest areas while encouraging private investment in reforestation and under-canopy medicinal plant cultivation.

A revitalized rural landscape

In recent years, localities across the province have effectively mobilized and utilized funding, especially community contributions, to meet NRD targets. As a result, rural areas have been increasingly modernized and vibrant, improving both material and spiritual living standards.

As of March 2025, the province boasts: 5 advanced NRD-standard communes, 26 NRD-standard communes, 33 communes meeting 15-18 criteria, 49 communes meeting 10–14 criteria, average of 14.68 criteria per commune, and 266 hamlets/villages recognized as NRD or model NRD units.

Highlights from 2021-2025 include: 4 communes in Tuần Giáo reaching NRD standards, 3 communes in Điện Biên achieving advanced NRD status, and Điện Biên Phủ city with 1 standard NRD commune and 1 advanced NRD commune.

Visiting Noong Hẹt, an advanced NRD commune in Điện Biên district, one can feel the renewed vitality of the countryside. Village roads are widened and paved; blooming flowers line the streets. Schools, clinics, and community centers are well-built; rows of streetlights brighten alleys at night, enriching the rural scene. The commune's average per capita income has exceeded VND 53 million/year, and its multidimensional poverty rate has dropped to 3.9% (including 2.5% poor and 1.4% near-poor households). Noong Hẹt is striving to become the province’s first model NRD commune.

Since attaining advanced NRD status, Pom Lót commune has become a desirable rural area in Điện Biên district, with synchronized infrastructure, greener environments, and steadily improving living standards. In 2024, Pom Lót achieved: 3,460 tons of grain output; nearly VND 54 million/year average income per capita; and poverty rate below 2%.

Modern housing, improved living conditions, and upgraded infrastructure - all these are results of the strong cooperation between local governments and communities in building new-style rural areas.