Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) The key agricultural products include coconut, rambutan,green-skin and pink-flesh grapefruit, longan, flowers and ornamental plants,pigs and cattle.
Ben Tre, which is the country’s largest coconut producingprovince, has more than 78,000ha of coconut with an annual output of 688million nuts. More than 70% of the province’s population earns their incomerelated to coconut growing and production.
Thirty-two co-operative groups and 28 cooperatives, with a totalof more than 6,200 members, have developed value chains for a total of morethan 5,648ha of coconut.
More than 348ha of rambutan, 98.5ha of longan and 374ha of greenskin and pink flesh grapefruit in the province have value chains to secure thequality of the fruits, buyers and stable prices for farmers.
Nguyen Van Nhip in Giong Trom district’s Phuoc Long commune has linkedwith a processing company to grow coconut under organic methods for two years.
After linking with the company, he has secured buyers and gets aselling price of 5,000 - 8,000 VND per dozen of coconut higher than the marketprice.
The company teaches him organic growing techniques, and this helpsreduce the cost of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
The province has 67 cooperative groups and 67 cooperatives whichlink with companies to develop value chains for their agricultural production,according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Ngo Tuong Vy, General Director of Chanh Thu Export and ImportFruit Company Limited in Cho Lach district, said her company supported thelinkage between farmers, cooperatives and companies, and this linkage needed tofocus on the long term and sustainability.
The company hopes the department will assist it to develop a valuechain for 100-200ha of durian.
It is willing to invest in co-operatives and assist in managingand operating them properly, according to Vy.
Huynh Quang Duc, deputy director of the department, said cooperativegroups and cooperatives were weak in linkages with other related stakeholdersin their production.
The linkage between farmers and companies in some localities wasnot sustainable and effective, he said.
Most companies participating in value chains which buyagricultural produce, except coconut, were small or medium sized, did not havestable buyers and were easily affected by many reasons, he said.
“The province will strengthen implementing advocacy activities,transfer farming techniques and provide consultancy for developing valuechains,” he said.
Nguyen Minh Canh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee, said the province would take measures to effectively develop valuechains for key agricultural products and improve the lives of people.
The measures would include developing linkages among farmersthrough cooperative groups and co-operatives, between cooperative groups and cooperativesand companies, and developing companies which lead related stakeholders todevelop strong value chains, he said.
Dam Van Hung, owner of Huong Mien Tay in Mo Cay Bac district,which is the province’s largest establishment specialising in exporting greenskin and pink flesh grapefruit, said that to develop a value chain for anagricultural product, it should be developed through the collective economy.
His establishment has linked with cooperative groups and cooperativeswhich grow green skin and pink flesh grape fruit to buy the fruit, and thissecures both buyers for farmers and quality fruits for his establishment toexport, he said.
The province aims to get production value of 1 billion USD forcoconut and shrimp each in 2025, and 500 million USD for cattle, and flowersand ornamental plants each.
It will develop six concentrated coconut growing areas, includingfive organic coconut growing areas for a total of 1,826ha and a 20ha coconutgrowing area for harvesting young nuts for drinking juice.
More farmers in the province have switched to growing theiragricultural produce with good agricultural practices (GAP) standards, alongwith origin traceability and brand names, to improve value.
The province has more than 24,240ha of coconut, fruits andaquaculture which are cultivated under GAP or organic standards./.
VNA
