New opportunities
According to information from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Can Tho City, the city currently has 219 codes with a total area of 3,014 hectares on key crops such as mango, star apple, longan, durian... exported to the US, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand, and EU markets.
Notably, in June 2024, Can Tho City exported the first batch of green-skinned elephant mangoes to the US and Australian markets. This is considered a spectacular transformation, contributing to increasing the value of this fruit when conquering the demanding market.
Head of the Plant Cultivation and Protection Station (TTBVTT) of Co Do district - Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Tran - informed that Co Do district is one of the main fruit growing areas of Can Tho city with about 5,000 hectares. Regarding green-skinned elephant mango, in the past time, it has been affected by many market impacts, having to compete with other fruits in the same season, so there were times when the price dropped sharply to only 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg.
“With the fluctuations in market prices, the first batch of green-skinned elephant mangoes exported from the city has opened up opportunities for farmers to consume more of this fruit,” said Ms. Tran.
Another positive signal for fruit exports of the country in general and Can Tho City in particular is the signing of the Protocol on inspection, plant testing and food safety for frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China.
In recent years, the durian growing area of Can Tho City has increased sharply, from 537 hectares (in 2015) to 4,816 hectares (in 2023). The official opening of the Chinese market for frozen durian products is expected to create great opportunities for Can Tho durian.
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City - emphasized that the direction of frozen fruits is one of the solutions to promote the development of the preservation and processing sector, contributing to solving part of the risks for durian. The city's agricultural sector is looking forward to the Protocol to help expand the consumption channel for this agricultural product.
Mr. Nguyen Dac Hung - Director of Nhon Tho 1A Fruit Tree Production Cooperative (Phong Dien District, Can Tho City) - expressed that having a growing area code and linking with a durian export company has helped farmers increase profits by 30%. With the Protocol on frozen durian, Mr. Hung hopes to open up opportunities for businesses, increase purchasing output so that farmers can also benefit.
Create production momentum
According to Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City, although the number of the first batch of green-skinned elephant mangoes exported to the US and Australia is not much, this is one of the activities to promote fruit exports of the city.
“Can Tho’s agricultural sector will continue to focus on establishing growing area codes, guiding farmers on technical solutions to ensure productivity, quality, and food safety; forming large raw material areas, especially the linkage between growing areas and businesses. From there, promoting sustainable agricultural production, increasing value” - Mr. Nghiem said.
Mr. Phan Van Tay - Director of Loc Hung Agricultural Cooperative (Co Do district, Can Tho city) - affirmed that the batch of green-skinned elephant mangoes exported by the cooperative to the US and Australian markets not only opens up new opportunities in fruit consumption but also motivates farmers to increase production, learn techniques and better comply with regulations to increasingly improve the quality of mangoes to meet export standards.
Also taking the opportunity as a driving force for production, Mr. Hung said that in order to benefit from the Protocol on the export of frozen durian, cooperatives, specifically farmers, must first ensure that the production process meets the requirements of the importing country, and manage pests and pesticide residues. From there, produce the highest quality products, sell at high prices, increase profits, and expand production.
According to Dr. Dang Kim Son - former Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development, technical advances in processing and storing agricultural products are extremely important to promote production and export. In recent times, technical advances in frozen fruits have been a great opportunity for valuable agricultural products, helping to extend the selling time and save on transportation costs.
To seize this opportunity, Dr. Dang Kim Son suggested that it is necessary to strengthen the preservation, processing, quality control, and control of goods right from the beginning. In particular, businesses need to invest in infrastructure, build value chains; farmers must form raw material areas, linked with processing facilities, and take advantage of good scientific and technical advances in freezing to enter new, high-value, and demanding markets.
Dr. Dang Kim Son commented that agricultural production in the Mekong Delta is increasingly facing unpredictable factors as resources are shrinking; natural disasters; the disruption of the global value chain; small-scale farmers are loosely linked to businesses, and connected to distant markets; and conditions for facilities, transportation infrastructure, logistics, and wharfs are still difficult. This requires a breakthrough solution so as not to hinder the production and export of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta in the future.
(Posted on the special edition of Lao Dong Xuan At Ty)
