Da Lat to grow flower exports

Hanoi (VNA) - As the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong was aiming to expand the export of Da Lat flowers from the current 10 percent of output to 30 percent by 2020, greater efforts were needed.

According to Pham S, Deputy Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee, a comprehensive renovation in investment strategy, and farming techniques to thinking of doing business of both farmers and enterprises, must be carried out to achieve the export goal.

Lam Dong province had a total plantation area for flowers of 7,600 ha with an annual output of more than 2.5 billion flowers, but the export remained modest at 26 million USD last year, much below the potential of the province which has a cool climate all year long and fertile soil.

Chairman of the Da Lat city Peoples’ Committee Vo Ngoc Hiep said that a majority of farmer households were slow in revamping their farming techniques lading to flower plantations remaining scattered, resulting in low value adds.

Farmers and companies must connect with each other to set up a value chain for enhancing flower quality and output, which was considered a solution to expanding exports, experts said.

Pham S was quoted by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper as saying that Da Lat, with support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was developing a marketplace for flowers so as to ensure transparency in output and market demand, which would promote farmers to grow high-quality flowers, like the model of OTA Floriculture Auction.

Ryoji Kato, from Japanese OTA Floriculture Auction, told the newspaper that flower prices would be updated daily along with information of output and demand on the marketplace. Based on such information, farmers could raise appropriate plantation plans to balance supply-demand and stabilise prices for more stable profits.

In addition, farmers and companies must ensure product quality to consumers.

The marketplace would also help promote exports.

Currently, the export of Da Lat flowers was mainly from farms such as Da Lat Hasfarm, Flower Forest Da Lat and Bonnie Farm.-VNA