Sustainable development of dragon fruit cultivation

Dragon fruit is one of the key crops of Dong Thap province. Thanks to this crop, many farmers have the opportunity to develop their economy and stabilize their lives. To ensure sustainable development, Dong Thap province is focusing on various solutions, from improving quality to building a supply chain in production and consumption.

FOCUS ON IMPROVING QUALITY

Tan Thuan Binh commune is one of the localities with the largest dragon fruit growing area in the province, with nearly 2,700 hectares. The majority of the dragon fruit is cultivated according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards to meet market requirements. In recent years, the locality has established a raw material area that meets export standards, focusing on linking production and consumption.

Dong Thap province is focusing on improving the quality of dragon fruit.

Hung Thinh Phat Clean Agriculture Cooperative (Tan Thuan Binh commune) is one of the exemplary units in producing dragon fruit in a clean manner. Accordingly, the cooperative has established dragon fruit growing areas according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards in 8 linked groups in hamlets of Tan Thuan Binh commune with an area of ​​more than 130 hectares.

In addition, the cooperative has obtained food safety certification supervised and issued by the Department of Agriculture; and certification of production area codes according to safety standards for export to China, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States.

Accordingly, the cooperative signs contracts with its members committing to purchasing dragon fruit at a minimum price of 10,000 VND/kg at all times, and at least 1,000 VND/kg higher than the market price for products that meet standards.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province has currently established a specialized dragon fruit cultivation area of ​​nearly 9,400 hectares, with an annual harvest of nearly 272,000 tons of fruit, mainly concentrated in the eastern localities of the province. To date, the province has over 2,300 hectares of dragon fruit certified under GAP standards, along with 33 cultivation area codes for export to the Chinese market (5,493 hectares) and 92 cultivation area codes for export to Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Australia (1,271 hectares).

Mr. Nguyen Trung Quy, Director of Hung Thinh Phat Clean Agriculture Cooperative, said that each month, the cooperative processes 60-100 tons of dragon fruit for export and to trading centers nationwide. This helps ensure a stable market for its members.

In the coming period, the cooperative will continue to maintain production linkages for dragon fruit, working alongside farmers to produce clean produce that meets export standards. In addition, the cooperative will actively seek customers to create a stable market for dragon fruit.

According to Nguyen Cong Thanh, Chairman of the Tan Thuan Binh Commune People's Committee, the consumption of dragon fruit in the area has been smooth recently, mainly through cooperatives, warehouses, and traders.

The commune's goal for the coming period is to develop dragon fruit production on an area of ​​nearly 2,700 hectares, with 50% - 60% of the area producing according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAGON FRUIT

In reality, despite achieving many positive results, dragon fruit production in the province still faces many difficulties. The biggest challenge is the unstable market and fluctuating prices.

There have been times when the price of dragon fruit has dropped sharply, causing losses for growers. Therefore, to sustainably develop this crop, Dong Thap province is focusing on solutions to support and assist the people.

An Thanh Thuy commune also has a large area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation in the province. Currently, the entire commune has about 687 hectares of dragon fruit. According to Cao Tan Hieu, Chairman of the People's Committee of An Thanh Thuy commune, in order to sustainably develop dragon fruit cultivation, in the coming time, the locality will focus on supporting the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge, applying science and technology , and producing according to GAP standards for farmers.

One of the key solutions is to raise awareness and encourage farmers to understand the benefits and actively participate in market connections. At the same time, expanding the cooperative model will promote production and consumption linkages; and accelerating the issuance of planting area codes to facilitate exports…

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap province, in the coming time, Dong Thap will focus on applying science and technology to production to improve the quality and competitiveness of dragon fruit in the export market.

The province is calling on and encouraging businesses to invest in building factories to produce a variety of processed products from dragon fruit, in order to help address the surplus of dragon fruit during the peak harvest season.

Furthermore, the Dong Thap agricultural sector advises farmers against expanding their cultivated area indiscriminately; instead, they should focus on improving quality and applying production processes that meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards to facilitate connections with processing and export businesses.

At the same time, the province is promoting the integration of dragon fruit into domestic consumption chains and e-commerce, helping to stabilize output and reduce dependence on traditional markets…

ANH THU

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/phat-trien-ben-vung-cay-thanh-long-a234641.html