The development space of Dak Lak has fundamentally changed, stretching from the Central Highlands to the East Sea, creating opportunities to transform the province into a high-tech agricultural centre.

According to preliminary data for the first nine months of 2026 from the Dak Lak Statistics Office, the provincial GRDP grew by 8.51%, while agriculture, forestry as well as fisheries increased by 5.96%. More notably, processing and manufacturing industries grew by 15.42%, while transport and warehousing increased by 10.47%.

High-tech agriculture must not only increase production value but also capture greater value from fields to factories, logistics alongside markets. In the new development space, high technology needs to be embedded throughout the journey from production to market and strengthen producers’ capacity.

Applying high technology in seedling production.

Dak Lak’s goal is not simply to produce more, but also to capture more value from each unit of product. The western region can become a major raw-material production area, applying science, technology and data to improve productivity coupled with quality. The eastern region can develop agriculture, fisheries and the marine economy, while strengthening processing, logistics, seaport services and market connectivity.

Current provincial development orientations also prioritise to the Phu Yen - Dak Lak expressway, upgrading National Highway 29, connecting seaports and airports with logistics centres, while studying infrastructure connectivity between Buon Ma Thuot and Tuy Hoa. These connections will facilitate the organisation of agricultural, forestry combined with fisheries value chains, from raw material areas and production to processing, logistics alongside exports within a unified development space.

To build an ecosystem in which stakeholders can jointly create value, Dak Lak must forge stronger links among the State, scientists, enterprises, cooperatives, producers, financial institutions, logistics providers together with markets. The State should focus on developing planning, infrastructure, shared data, standards and a transparent business environment, alongside strengthening links between research and market.

Digital transformation - An essential mode of operation

If Dak Lak aims to become a high-tech agricultural centre, it needs to regard digital transformation (DX) as an essential mode of operation, shifting from administrative procedure management to value-chain governance, from fragmented data to connectivity, and from response to forecasting as well as prevention.

When data on land, water, climate, growing areas, farming areas, output, markets, processing and logistics are connected, producers, enterprises combined with management agencies will have a stronger basis for making more effective decisions.

Frozen durian processing at Chanh Thu Dak Lak Export Fruit Processing Factory.

In practice, Dak Lak has already begun moving in this direction. In August 2026, the province launched a 30-day intensive campaign to digitise, standardise and connect data on growing area codes while packing facilities across 72 key communes and wards, prioritising 280 growing area codes covering approximately 7,500 ha alongside 42 packing facilities eligible for export. What is noteworthy is not only that the data have been uploaded onto digital platforms, but also that they have been connected with management, traceability and export activities.

DX only creates value when data lead to a new approach to governance. Only when technology, data and governance change together can they form a genuine high-tech agricultural ecosystem.

Therefore, Dak Lak’s important transition is not only from low technology to high technology, but also from individual production to value chains; from separate advantages to an interconnected development space; and from fragmented management to a governance approach capable of shaping the system as a whole.

Translated by KHUONG THAO