However, knocking other rivals out of the competition is heavily dependent on technology application, brand building, and sustainable development.
Farmers in Tay Ninh province, the country’s largest custard apple producer, have switched over 3,400 hectare of low-yield cassava, sugarcane and rubber fields to grow longan, grape fruit, durian and custard apple.
They are growing the fruit to good agricultural practice (GAP) standards such as VietGAP and Global GAP to meet the market demand and improve farmers’ incomes. In 2011 the National Office of Intellectual Property granted geographical indication (GI) certification for Ba Den custard apple, helping improve the image of the province’s fruit at home and abroad.
Additionally, the province is focusing its attention on building brands for green-skinned grapefruit, mango and jackfruit whose origin can be traced back thanks to technology application.
Meantime, 21 cooperatives and over 100 cooperative groups are growing fruits in the area of 10,00 hectares in Binh Phuoc Province. However, farmers have not linked with others to create giant fields to produce a large quantity of fruit to build brand as well as to find out market information and demand.
Accordingly, the provincial People’s Committee has directed the Department of Science and Technology to build brand for free-range chicken and “ tieu da bo” longan Thanh Luong - Binh Long.
After two years of brand building, the two fruits have been certified by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Furthermore, administrations of Tay Ninh and Binh Phuoc have paid attention to forming high-value tree growing areas as well as promote building brand of major agricultural trees and enhance trade promotion activities and support enterprises, farmers to by displaying agricultural products in international fairs and consultation on linkage between farmers and enterprises.
So far, value chain linkage has been multiplied in Tay Ninh. Specifically, Lavifood Company has signed contract to buy fruits of 224-hectare orchard. The company worked with People’s Committee in Duong Minh Chau District to build a project to buy vegetables in the area of 3,000 hectares.
Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Vo Duc Trong said that the province is encouraging farmers to adopt technology to improve the agricultural sector’s value. The province has grown custard apple achieving VietGAP standard in the area of 200 hectares, green-skinned grapefruit in 1,000 hectares, bananas for export in 380 hectares, 33 green-housed vegetables farms and flower in 90 hectares.
The agriculture sector is re-structuring with focus on its major products connecting with the government’s new agriculture plan.
