A seedling nursery in Ben Tre province. (Source: VNA) Ben Tre (VNS/VNA) - Ben Tre province, the Mekong Delta’s largest producer of fruit, vegetable and other seedlings, has strengthened quality management to promote its seedling brands and agriculture produce.
Bui Van Lam, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the quality of seedlings impacts the yields and quality of agriculture produce, and so the province seeks to adopt advanced techniques and invest in infrastructure required to grow seedlings.
Authorities would monitor all households that grow or trade seedlings to ensure they are of clear origin and consistent quality, he said, adding that all seedlings would be certified.
Nguyen Huu Lap, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province’s agriculture produce is diversified and well known, and includes xiem xanh coconut (a speciality variety used for its juice), green skin and pink flesh grapefruit, durian, Cai Mon mangosteen, Ba Tri cows, Mo Cay Nam pigs, and Thanh Phu mud crabs.
Seedling production is one of the eight key products for which it has built value chains, he said.
Its fruit, flower and ornamental plant seedlings are preferred by customers all over the country, he said.
Ben Tre also exports them to Cambodia and Laos.
Cho Lach district, its largest seedling producer, has 1,600ha devoted to producing around 40 million seedlings and 15 million pots of flowers and ornamental plants annually, according to its People’s Committee.
It has 31 villages that grow seedlings, flowers and ornamental plants.
Many farmers in the district have switched to growing the seedlings in recent years as it offers higher profits than crops.
But its seedling production remains on a small scale and scattered.
Le Van Don, deputy head of the Cho Lach Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district has set up a programme to manage and improve seedling quality.
The programme helps farmers register the plants from which the germinating seeds were obtained with competent agencies.
Twenty eight such plants and 90 orchards in the district have been registered.
To meet the market’s demands in terms of quality and quantity, the province has encouraged farmers to establish co-operatives for growing seedlings.
It has taken several measures to improve the efficiency of co-operatives like providing their managers with training in management skills and offering support policies.
The Thang Loi Agricultural Co-operative in Cho Lach’s Long Thoi commune was established last September to trade agricultural inputs, tools and services and produce seedlings.
Pham Hong Khanh, its chairman, said if farmers want to integrate into the market, they have to work towards a co-operative economy and sustainable production.
Their products should have high quality and clear origins, he said.
“The biggest difficulty for individual farmers is that they produce products based on [the latest] trends, depend on the market and lack secure outlets.”
Members register their production quantity, are taught farming techniques and offered guaranteed outlets, he added. /.
VNA
