Onion production in our country still faces many difficulties.

Đảng Cộng Sản•17/03/2023

This information was provided by a representative of the Department of Crop Production at the "Connecting Trade, Promoting Consumption of Onions and Shallots" forum, a combination of in-person and online participation, organized by the Steering Committee of the 970 Agricultural Product Connection Forum, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in collaboration with the People's Committee of Soc Trang province, on March 17th.

According to representatives from the Department of Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , the total area for onion production nationwide is approximately 14-15 thousand hectares, concentrated in the provinces of Soc Trang, Hai Duong, Ninh Thuan, Quang Ngai, etc.; purple onions are mainly grown in Soc Trang, Ninh Thuan, and Quang Ngai. Of this, the area for purple onion cultivation in Hai Duong reaches 5,700 hectares with a production of 110 thousand tons, and in Soc Trang approximately 6,500 hectares with a production of about 90 thousand tons.

Data shows that the total area planted with shallots in the South is approximately 7,000 hectares, mainly concentrated from December to March of the following year, putting pressure on post-harvest storage.

According to representatives from the Department of Crop Production, onion production in Vietnam currently faces several challenges, including: fragmentation, difficulty in tracing origins, lack of linkages; fluctuating prices; limited certified production area, difficulty in controlling quality and food safety; lack of proper preservation procedures, leading to large quantities of fresh produce being sold during peak harvest periods, resulting in low prices; and a lack of integrated distribution channels.

Therefore, to develop sustainable onion production, representatives from the Department of Crop Production suggested that farmers should adopt safe production processes, traceability, and certified production. At the same time, localities need to support production linkages, form concentrated production areas, connect businesses for domestic and export consumption; promote post-harvest preservation; and implement support programs, training, and technology transfer for safe production.

At the Forum, Mr. Tran Trong Khiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang province, said that shallots are one of the specialty crops of Soc Trang province, grown in Tran De district and Vinh Chau town. The total area planted with shallots annually is about 6,500 hectares, with an average yield of 18 tons/ha, and a production of over 90,000 tons.

Of this, over 1,150 hectares are planted with shallots using organic farming methods (applying safe production processes, increasing the use of organic fertilizers, and reducing chemical fertilizers). In addition, 10.8 hectares/23 households in the Ca Lang B rice-crop cooperative, Ward 2, Vinh Chau town, have achieved VietGAP standards, yielding profits 10-20 million VND/ha higher than conventional production.

Vinh Chau shallots are consumed domestically and exported to several countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, bringing significant income to people and businesses in Vinh Chau town.

However, Vinh Chau shallots have recently faced difficulties in production and consumption due to several reasons, such as: inappropriate planting schedules, with large areas being planted simultaneously, resulting in relatively high yields at any given time. Farmers still produce individually and have not formed cooperatives, leading to a lack of sustainable links between cooperatives and businesses, and between farmers and businesses. In particular, farmers still have a tendency to wait for prices to be right; even when prices are reasonably agreed upon with businesses, they still refuse to sell, leading to stockpiling when prices fall sharply.

Speaking at the Forum, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam stated that onions are a key product for many provinces and cities such as Hai Duong, Soc Trang, Ninh Thuan, and Quang Ngai , with a total annual production of over 200,000 tons. In February and March, onion farms enter the harvesting season, therefore, the demand for this product is higher than ever.

However, according to statistics, in the first months of 2023, market purchasing power is trending downward, while the agricultural sector's production capacity remains sufficient to meet domestic consumption and export needs. This leads to the prediction that the consumption of agricultural products in general, and shallots in particular, will face many difficulties.

According to Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam, statistics show that onion exports in the first two months of 2023 only reached 240 tons, a very small figure compared to the annual onion production of 200,000 tons. Therefore, the Forum aims to help expand the market for onion products. At the same time, it is also an opportunity for onion growers nationwide to promote and introduce their onion brands to global markets.

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