Vietnamplus

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang have begun harvesting off-season dragon fruit, earning high incomes.

The income per capita of rural residents in Kien Giang province, the country’s largest rice producer, has reached 46.2 million VND (1,990 USD) a year, up 1.5 times against 2015, mostly due to the use of new farming models and agricultural restructuring.

The south-central province of Binh Thuan, the country’s largest dragon fruit producer, is expanding cultivation of dragon fruit under Vietnamese and global Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP and GlobalGAP) standards.

Climate change has affected crop yields in the country but coconut can adapt and offer high value to farmers, experts have said.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau will promote its key agricultural products, especially collective brand names, to increase their value and competitiveness.

The south-central province of Ninh Thuan, the country’s largest grape producer, is expanding cultivation of high-quality foreign grape varieties.

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu plans to expand its efficient and sustainable super-intensive shrimp farming and shrimp-rice farming models.

Improving production technologies, designs and packaging are among the important factors that could add value to Vietnamese farm produce, businesses have said.

Agriculture businesses should embrace connection in order to participate in global value chains, heard a forum held in Hanoi on October 8.

Proper zoning and more investment for processing are among the measures needed to develop sustainable production of dragon fruit in the country, experts have said.

Although Vietnam has many products with geographical indication (GI) certification, the country has failed to exploit the benefits, according to experts. Hung Yen longan is one example.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, the country’s largest rice producer, is expected to produce 4.3 million tonnes of paddy this year, up more than 35,200 tonnes against last year, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Mekong Delta has restructured agriculture towards climate-change adaptation and market demand by establishing specialised farming areas for its key agricultural products, and by growing other crops on ineffective rice fields or rotating rice with other crops on the same field.

Nearly 100 percent of tra fish ponds used for commercial production in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have been granted identification numbers, reported the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Experts have said Vietnam's pepper industry had better change its growth model and enhance quality to take advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs).

The Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development is working with localities to examine the development of pepper farming with a view to designing a sustainable growth orientation for the sector between now and 2030.

The knowledge sharing and technical assistance project for agriculture was launched in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang on August 19 with the debut of a public-private partnership (PPP) group for the project.

Chi Lang district, Lang Son province has 1,600 ha of custard apple trees, of which more than 195 ha are producing in accordance with VietGAP and Global GAP standards, yielding about 16,000 tonnes.

The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has developed more clean farming models for shrimp and rice that meet Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards and organic standards to meet the rising demand for them, especially in export markets.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the southern province of Ca Mau has amended its list of key agricultural products, deleting two from the original list and keeping shrimp, mud crab, high-quality rice, and wood.