Raising the level of Gia Lai agricultural products

For a long time, solving the output of Vietnamese agricultural products has been fraught with risks, the refrain of “good harvest – low price” has been going on for a long time. The Central Highlands, the country’s major agricultural production region, is also in the same situation.

However, in recent years, agriculture in this land has changed dramatically, agricultural products have been upgraded and a series of production-consumption chains have been formed.

A few years ago, the price of passion fruit dropped dramatically, many garden owners in Kon Gang commune, Gia Lai province did not want to bother harvesting. After the failed crop, many farmers in the area switched crops, but old farmer Ho Van Toi, who has 50 years of gardening experience, remained "loyal" to passion fruit and sought new directions to minimize risks. In 2025, Mr. Toi planted 4,000 m2 of passion fruit intercropped with coffee trees. During the care process, the passion fruit trees created a symbiotic environment that helped the coffee trees make the most of nutrients to grow. After four months of applying scientific care solutions, both passion fruit and coffee grew well. Mr. Toi said that foreign passion fruit varieties are valuable, and after 6 to 8 months they can be harvested, after deducting costs, each sao (1,000 m2) earns a profit of 60 to 80 million VND.

Joining the chain, thousands of farmers like Mr. Ho Van Toi feel secure in their production. Mr. Toi draws a lesson from experience: “We must focus on improving product quality through cultivation techniques, complying with production processes, and following the advice of agricultural engineers. Thanks to stable prices, in recent years, the lives of passion fruit farmers in Kon Gang commune have improved.”

According to passion fruit seed producers, the western region of Gia Lai province has a temperate climate and suitable altitude for growing this plant. From that advantage, many businesses are now boldly investing in the value chain right from the seed production stage, supporting planting techniques, care and product consumption. Nafoods Tay Nguyen Joint Stock Company has a linked passion fruit growing area of 2,500 hectares, with 2,000 farmers participating. Farmers participating in the linked chain are provided with quality-assured seeds and are advised on production techniques. Company director Ho Hai Quan said: "In order to promptly consume agricultural products during the "peak" harvest season, the company has increased the production capacity at the factory from 300 tons of raw materials/day and night to 700 tons. Increasing capacity helps increase consumption capacity, avoiding being forced down by traders."

With advantages in climate and soil, Gia Lai province has focused on developing fruit trees, improving product quality; models of economic efficiency and environmental protection have been replicated in a controlled manner. Up to now, the province's fruit tree growing area has reached more than 33,000 hectares; of which, two-thirds of the area is produced according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. In recent years, the banana growing area for export in Gia Lai has increased rapidly, currently more than 2,000 hectares. To improve quality and output, banana growing enterprises have applied high technology from the seedling stage to the production and care process; using drones to spray pesticides. Mr. Nguyen Van Tung, Hung Son High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, Gia Lai province said: “Using drones and drip irrigation systems helps save water, pesticides, fertilizers and labor. At the same time, nutrients are evenly distributed, plants absorb to the maximum, helping to achieve outstanding productivity.”

The agricultural sector of the Central Highlands provinces in general, and Gia Lai province in particular, is continuing to promote the development of high-tech agriculture for key crops for export. Along with coffee, pepper, vegetables, flowers, medicinal plants, etc., bananas and passion fruit are potential crops, expected to become agricultural products for export, contributing to raising the value of Central Highlands agricultural products in general and Gia Lai province in particular in the domestic and international markets. Former Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Gia Lai, Pham Van Binh (former), said that the value chain linkage model between farmers and enterprises shows positive signs. Farmers are moving towards modern, large-scale agricultural production; enterprises have the capacity to undertake from the first stage to the stage of product consumption, expanding the growing area according to the practical needs of the world market, etc. Currently, there are deep processing enterprises in Gia Lai, but the scale is not commensurate with the agricultural output in the area. According to Mr. Binh, it is important that the province considers planning industrial processing zones and clusters associated with key traffic routes, such as National Highways 14 and 19, and accelerates the construction of the Quy Nhon-Pleiku expressway to exploit logistics advantages from Quy Nhon port to other countries.

Director of the Import-Export Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade Nguyen Anh Son assessed that the west of Gia Lai province has a favorable trading position, bordering the Kingdom of Cambodia through the Le Thanh International Border Gate, which is a key factor facilitating the export of goods to countries in the ASEAN bloc. In addition, Japan and China are also potential markets. "It can be affirmed that Gia Lai is on the right track in its agricultural export strategy associated with restructuring the agricultural sector and expanding international markets," said Mr. Son. In order to create momentum for the following years, Mr. Son recommended that Gia Lai should focus on maintaining regular, in-depth international trade promotion activities associated with the practical capacity of localities and businesses. Investing in digital transformation, traceability and building product stories are also important factors helping Gia Lai goods successfully conquer demanding but potential markets in the coming time.

According to many experts and managers, to improve its position in the export market, Gia Lai needs to focus on developing value-added product groups, such as specialty coffee, organic pepper, honey, processed fruits and refined wood products, etc. In addition, building a brand for Gia Lai agricultural products in association with standards such as VietGAP and GlobalGAP is a key factor to conquer markets with high demands. In particular, increasing the proportion of deeply processed products to contribute to increasing added value, minimizing risks from fluctuations in raw material prices and creating a foundation for sustainable development.

MINH DUY

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nang-tam-nong-san-gia-lai-389152.html