A coconut orchard in Phong Nam commune in Ben Tre province’s Giong Trom district (Photo: VNA)Ben Tre (VNS/VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre is focusingon building value chains for its key agricultural products to meet domestic andexport demand.
The products arecoconut, green peel and pink flesh grapefruit, rambutan, longan, ornamentalplants and flowers, pigs, cows, and shrimp.
The province is thedelta’s largest coconut and green peel and pink flesh grapefruit producer.
It has more than28,000ha under fruits and an annual output of more than 300,000 tonnes andnearly 71,000ha of coconut, according to its Department of Agriculture andRural Development.
Huynh Quang Duc, deputydirector of the department, said efficient value chains had been developed forcoconuts, green peel and pink flesh grapefruit and longan.
The province has 98co-operative teams and 42 cooperatives with contracts with companies to selltheir fruits, according to Duc.
The province has8,749ha of green peel and pink flesh grapefruit orchards with an annual outputof 66,428 tonnes.
The grapefruit is theprovince’s strongest suit since it is widely grown, fruits many times a yearand has high quality and value.
According to Dam VanHung, Director of Huong Mien Tay, a fruit export firm in Mo Cay Bac district,green peel and pink flesh grapefruit is the province’s speciality and cancompete with other varieties of grapefruits grown in other countries.
For longancultivation, the province has established two co-operatives in Binh Dai district’sLong Hoa and Tam Hiep communes with 151 members who grow the fruit on 65ha.
For rambutan, it hasestablished 22 cooperative teams and four cooperatives, which have 732 membersand 126ha of orchards.
Huynh Van Xieu, Chairmanof the Tien Long Rambutan Cooperative in Chau Thanh district, said his cooperativehad 55 members and 33ha of land for growing rambutan and green peel and pinkflesh grapefruit.
It contracted withthe Dai Thuan Thien Clean Agricultural Product Co. Ltd to sell its entire fruitoutput and with Ut Sang to buy fertilisers, he said.
The province hasexpanded the cultivation of fruits and coconuts based on good agriculturalpractice and organic standards to nearly 4,500ha.
Its xiem coconut(a variety of coconut planted for juice) and green peel and pink fleshgrapefruit have been granted geographical indication certification by theNational Office of Intellectual Property.
Duc said the valuechains offered a number of benefits to farmers, co-operative teams,co-operatives, companies, and communities. But there were some limitations, headmitted.
The cooperationbetween farmers to set up co-operative teams and co-operatives for large-scaleproduction could be better, he said.
Similarly, cooperationbetween farmers, companies and other stakeholders for producing and consumingagricultural produce was not strong either, he added.
Nguyen Huu Lap, ViceChairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said to improve the valuechains, these linkages should be strengthened.
The province wouldfocus on improving the quality of seeds, adopting advanced farming techniquesand producing fruits in the off-season to make fruit farming sustainable, headded./.
The products arecoconut, green peel and pink flesh grapefruit, rambutan, longan, ornamentalplants and flowers, pigs, cows, and shrimp.
The province is thedelta’s largest coconut and green peel and pink flesh grapefruit producer.
It has more than28,000ha under fruits and an annual output of more than 300,000 tonnes andnearly 71,000ha of coconut, according to its Department of Agriculture andRural Development.
Huynh Quang Duc, deputydirector of the department, said efficient value chains had been developed forcoconuts, green peel and pink flesh grapefruit and longan.
The province has 98co-operative teams and 42 cooperatives with contracts with companies to selltheir fruits, according to Duc.
The province has8,749ha of green peel and pink flesh grapefruit orchards with an annual outputof 66,428 tonnes.
The grapefruit is theprovince’s strongest suit since it is widely grown, fruits many times a yearand has high quality and value.
According to Dam VanHung, Director of Huong Mien Tay, a fruit export firm in Mo Cay Bac district,green peel and pink flesh grapefruit is the province’s speciality and cancompete with other varieties of grapefruits grown in other countries.
For longancultivation, the province has established two co-operatives in Binh Dai district’sLong Hoa and Tam Hiep communes with 151 members who grow the fruit on 65ha.
For rambutan, it hasestablished 22 cooperative teams and four cooperatives, which have 732 membersand 126ha of orchards.
Huynh Van Xieu, Chairmanof the Tien Long Rambutan Cooperative in Chau Thanh district, said his cooperativehad 55 members and 33ha of land for growing rambutan and green peel and pinkflesh grapefruit.
It contracted withthe Dai Thuan Thien Clean Agricultural Product Co. Ltd to sell its entire fruitoutput and with Ut Sang to buy fertilisers, he said.
The province hasexpanded the cultivation of fruits and coconuts based on good agriculturalpractice and organic standards to nearly 4,500ha.
Its xiem coconut(a variety of coconut planted for juice) and green peel and pink fleshgrapefruit have been granted geographical indication certification by theNational Office of Intellectual Property.
Duc said the valuechains offered a number of benefits to farmers, co-operative teams,co-operatives, companies, and communities. But there were some limitations, headmitted.
The cooperationbetween farmers to set up co-operative teams and co-operatives for large-scaleproduction could be better, he said.
Similarly, cooperationbetween farmers, companies and other stakeholders for producing and consumingagricultural produce was not strong either, he added.
Nguyen Huu Lap, ViceChairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said to improve the valuechains, these linkages should be strengthened.
The province wouldfocus on improving the quality of seeds, adopting advanced farming techniquesand producing fruits in the off-season to make fruit farming sustainable, headded./.
VNA
