Ba Ria-Vung Tau expands cocoa growing area to meet export demand

With an area of over 614 hectares, the current supply is not enough to meet market demand, especially for export to other countries, so the province is expanding the area of this crop to meet market demand.

Cocoa trees provide a stable source of income for Mr. Tran Nhu Phong's family in Tan Thanh hamlet, Quang Thanh commune, Chau Duc district. (Photo: Hoang Nhi/VNA)

According to the agricultural sector of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, there are currently more than 614 hectares of cocoa plantations in the province.

With this area, the current supply is not enough to meet market demand, especially for export to other countries. Therefore, the province is expanding the area of this crop to meet market demand.

Cocoa trees have taken root in Ba Ria-Vung Tau for about 20 years. The province's cocoa has been highly appreciated by many demanding foreign markets for its quality, delicious flavor and is ranked in the top 100 best cocoa varieties in the world .

Mr. Tran Nhu Phong, residing in Tan Thanh hamlet, Quang Thanh commune, Chau Duc district, has been growing cocoa for 18 years. Currently, his family has 2 hectares of cocoa intercropped with cashew and pepper trees; of which 1.2 hectares are yielding stable harvests. Each year, this 1.2 hectares of cocoa gives his family about 15 tons of fresh fruit, after deducting expenses, he still has a profit of over 100 million VND.

Few people know that at one point, Mr. Phong intended to cut down this cocoa garden to switch to growing other types of trees, because the price and output of cocoa fruit at that time was unstable and there were many pests and diseases.

After many years of neglecting his cocoa garden, Mr. Phong attended training courses on technology transfer, in addition to the support from Thanh Dat Cocoa Trading, Service and Production Company Limited in terms of varieties, capital, techniques and product consumption, instead of cultivating inorganically, he started to completely switch to organic cocoa cultivation, which means completely not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. If before, each kg of cocoa fruit cost only 6,000 VND, now he can sell it for 8,000 VND/kg and the output is very stable, all of which are purchased by the company.

Currently, the demand for cocoa consumption in Ba Ria-Vung Tau is increasing, however, the source of raw materials is not enough. Currently, Chau Duc district is the locality with the largest cocoa area in the province with 360 hectares, this is also the locality with the most suitable climate and soil for growing cocoa trees, with a yield of 2.4-3 tons of dry beans/ha/year.

Although identified as the main crop of the district, the current cocoa output of Chau Duc district only meets about 1/3 of the demand of establishments and enterprises, and farmers have not yet paid attention to expanding the area, and the average yield is quite low. People grow cocoa on a small, fragmented scale, making it difficult to provide technical guidance, causing the plants to grow poorly and have many pests and diseases.

Recognizing the potential of cocoa trees and the current state of local agriculture, in order to increase the total area of cocoa trees in the area, Chau Duc District People's Committee has allocated cocoa planting targets in 2023 to communes and towns across the district, mobilizing the entire local political system to join hands in mobilizing farmers to expand the area of cocoa trees, contributing to stabilizing production and minimizing risks.

To expand the raw material area and develop sustainable cocoa trees, the District People's Committee has supported 2.7 billion VND to invest in seedlings, fertilizers, agricultural materials to implement the cocoa cultivation process according to the VietGAP model, develop production linked to the value chain... for 80 farming households, with a planting area of 50 hectares.

At the same time, the locality has also made efforts to seek and call on many businesses to support the linkage of product consumption and transfer of high-tech technology to develop cocoa trees for farmers; focusing on implementing more solutions to develop cocoa trees in a sustainable direction, achieving the goal of increasing productivity and output associated with quality; at the same time, providing more support to people in pruning techniques, creating canopy, and preventing pests from attacking cocoa trees, causing damage to farmers.

In addition, some businesses have implemented cooperation to purchase fresh cocoa fruits from farmers to produce products such as cocoa powder, chocolate candy, cocoa wine, cocoa tea, cocoa juice... and export to countries such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia and European markets. There have also been some businesses developing community tourism associated with interesting experiences from planting, caring for and processing cocoa.

In photo: Tourists experience making chocolate candy at Binon Cacao Company, Xa Bang Commune, Chau Duc District. Photo: Hoang Nhi - VNA

Binon Cacao Joint Stock Company, Xa Bang Commune, Chau Duc District, has been operating since May 2019. The company has built a cocoa park with an area of about 46 hectares. Coming here, visitors not only visit the scenery but also have the opportunity to taste fresh cocoa beans and be guided by tour guides to see the production process of cocoa powder and chocolate. Visitors can also explore and challenge their creativity by making their own chocolate bars.

Currently, the company is producing main products of pure cocoa powder, wine, cereals, tea, lip nuts and about 30 types of chocolate candy.

Ms. Ly Tu Anh, Head of Human Resources Administration, Binon Cacao Joint Stock Company, said that in order to serve the processing of products for export to Japan, along with serving tourists when they come to the cocoa park to visit and experience, the company needs to purchase 20 tons of fresh cocoa fruit per month. However, the current market is not enough to meet the needs of businesses.

Faced with the increasing demand for cocoa consumption while the supply of raw materials is not yet sufficient, the provincial agricultural sector aims to complete the organic cocoa growing process by 2025, expand and increase the cocoa growing area in Chau Duc district to 650 hectares; of which 15 hectares will be built to produce according to organic standards to meet export demand.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Duc, Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, said that Ba Ria-Vung Tau cocoa is increasingly conquering demanding markets because not only investing in processing, but farmers have gradually focused on investing in cultivation to create clean raw material areas for input.

“In the coming time, the department will also strive to be a bridge to bring safe agricultural products; including processed products from cocoa fruits of the province to have a foothold and reach out to the market not only domestically but also to countries around the world,” said Mr. Nguyen Chi Duc./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ba-riavung-tau-mo-rong-dien-tich-cay-cacao-dap-ung-xuat-khau/866277.vnp

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