Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Dong Nai (VNA) – The southern province of Dong Nai has planned to export 500,000 tonnes of fresh bananas to overseas markets this year.
Dong Nai shipped its first batch of fresh bananas to China on February 22 at a ceremony held by the provincial People’s Committee and the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD)
Banana is one of the main crops of the province. Banana trees are cultivated throughout the province but are concentrated mainly in Trang Bom, Thong Nhat, and Dinh Quan districts. The average yield is 40-50 tonnes of bananas per hectare and the output of 450,000 tonnes per year. Up to 80% of banana production is for export.
According to DARD, Dong Nai’s fresh bananas have been exported to a number of countries, including China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.
Last year, the province shipped over 400,000 tonnes of fresh bananas.
Nguyen Thi Hoang, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee, said Dong Nai has the largest banana cultivation area in the country with an area of more than 13,100 hectares, accounting for 70% of the total banana-growing area of the Southeastern region.
It is also the leading region in the country with 30 banana growing area codes covering nearly 5,700 hectares, she said.
Hoang asked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Industry and Trade and localities to support and remove difficulties for enterprises and farmers so that Dong Nai's agricultural products meet the requirement of importing countries.
Addressing the ceremony, Consulate General of China in Ho Chi Minh City Wei Huaxiang said his country wants to enhance cooperation to increase China's import of fresh bananas.
The diplomat pledged to support the promotion of Vietnam's fresh bananas to the Chinese market. However, he suggested the Vietnamese side to further improve the packaging and the preservation process to ensure the best quality of the fruit./.
