The northwestern mountainous province of Son La hopes to make longan its key farm produce. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The northwestern mountainous province of Son La hasbeen searching for a stable market for its fresh agricultural products duringan event underway at Big C Thang Long supercenter in Hanoi until July 27,hoping to make longan its key farm produce.
The first “Son La Longan and Safe Farm Produce Week” was opened by theprovincial People’s Committee on July 21.
The festival will display 20 kiosks featuring longan, as well as otherfruits, vegetables, and processed food products of Son La. These include manyVietGAP and GlobalGAP-certified products, namely the longan, mango, avocado,banana, luffa, red dragon fruit, cabbage, tomato, garlic, and green pea.
Organisers also set up a special stall to introduce some off-seasonvegetables from the province’s Van Ho district, including cabbage, wild bean,chayote, tomato, and gourd. These products were grown under a programme“Support Farmers in Van Ho district, Son La province”, funded by the AustralianCentre for International Agricultural Research and the Central Group Vietnamwhich looks to foster the development of off-season vegetable farming andimprove the livelihood for smallholders in the northwestern mountainous region.
Son La has maintained 15 safe longan farming areas, producing about5,000 tonnes of longan certified by VietGAP annually. Of which, 1,500 tonnesare granted exportation codes to the United States, Australia, Japan, theRepublic of Korea, and other ASEAN countries, said Vu Duc Thuan, Deputy Directorof the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.
Last year, the province had nine products granted Trademark RegistrationCertificates, including Song Ma longan, Son La coffee, Phu Yen orange, Yen Chaumango, Moc Chau Snow Shan tea, Moc Chau safe vegetables, Moc Chau oolong tea,Ta Xua tea, and Son La honey.
In 2018, it plans to build trademarks for 12 more specialties like MaiSon sugar apple, Moc Chau avocado, Son Tra assam apple, Thuan Chau taro, Son Lapassion fruit, Son La plum, and Son La sturgeon.
“Son La hopes that, through the Big Coutlets, the certified farm produce of the province in general and its brandproducts in particular will be widely known in the country and abroad. Theincreases in production and consumption will help improve incomes andlivelihoods for ethnic minority people in the locality,” Thuan noted. –VNA
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