BUSINESS

Hoa Binh encourages sustainable development of local farm produce

7/3/2018 - 3:29:24 PM

Tan Lac red-flesh grapefruit receives collective brand in 2017.

Together with Cao Phong orange, Luong Son organic vegetable was chosen as a gold brand of Vietnamese agriculture in 2016. A year later, the two products and Son Thuy longan were listed among the top 157 outstanding agricultural products of the nation.

According to Phung Thi Lan, Chairwoman of Luong Son district farmers’ association and head of the Luong Son organic vegetable production group, organic vegetable cultivation has brought stable income to farmers in Hop Hoa, Nhuan Trach, Hoa Son, Thanh Lap, Cu Yen, Cao Ram communes and Luong Son town. The vegetables have gained a firm foothold in some hard markets like Hanoi, winning trust from consumers.

Local production groups and cooperatives have paid due attention to building brands for their products. In the past 2-3 years, brand names have been developed for tens of agricultural products in the province. In the end of 2017, Lac Thuy orange received prestigious brand protection and shortly after that, Tan Lac red-flesh grapefruit achieved recognition in intellectual property.

Other famous brands in the province are ruou can (wine drunk through pipes), Tan Lac chayote, Da River fish and shrimp, Lac Thuy chicken, La Son chicken, Hoa Binh honey and Hoa Binh sugar cane, among others.

According to Vuong Dac Hung, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, gaininging a brand name means the products having a foothold in the market.

To win the consumers’ faith, farmers cultivating Luong Son organic vegetables have to attend training courses and get practice for a long period of time. They obey five "no” principles during the cultivation, including no chemical fertilisers, no genetically modified materials, no stimulants and no pesticides.

Along with the geographical indication certificate, farmers in Cao Phong district have produced safe oranges in line with the VietGAP standards to appeal to the market’s tastes.

Areas for VietGAP orange cultivation have been expanded. Currently, 315 local households are planting the fruit on 423,36 hectares. Cao Phong organge has affirmed its prestige, thus bringing stable and sustainable benefits to growers./.