Dong Thap to up exports of mangoes by focusing on quality, branding

A farmer uses plastic bags to cover young mangoes in Dong Thap Province. - Photo baodongthap.vn

Speaking at a seminar held in the province’s Cao Lanh City on Tuesday, Professor Tran Van Hau of Can Tho University said that farmers also needed to work more closely with companies to ensure that output meets export demand.

Dong Thap has more than 9,300ha of mango varieties with annual output of 90,000 tonnes, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Two specialty mango varieties, Cat Chu and Hoa Loc, account for 70 per cent and 20 per cent of the province’s total mango area, respectively.

The fruit is one of Dong Thap’s key products in its agriculture restructuring programme.

The province’s mangoes, which are mostly exported to China, have also been exported to South Korea, Japan and New Zealand.

The province, which has set up two co-operatives and 29 co-operative teams that grow mango, has contracted with companies to guarantee outlets for their mangoes.

Last year, the companies purchased more than 6,000 tonnes of fresh mangoes from farmers.

Participants at the seminar said that farmers should pay more attention to fruit quality and post-harvest preservation if authorities decide to focus on selling mostly fresh mango.

To increase exports to demanding markets, the fruit should meet global Good Agricultural Practice standards, look beautiful and have good quality, they said.

Professor Nguyen Bao Ve, former head of the Can Tho University’s Agriculture Faculty, said nutrition management would improve quality.

The sugar and starch in mango should account for 96 per cent of mango nutritional value and the minerals should account for less than 4 per cent, he said.

Nguyen Thanh Hung, deputy chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, told farmers to work together and set up mango production chains.

In the province, most mango fields that have outlet guarantees are cultivated under Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards, while young mangoes are covered in plastic bags to protect them from pests.

Farmers earn profits of VNĐ200 -250 million (US$8,800 – 11,000) per ha a year for mangoes planted in co-operation with companies.

Dong Thap has six areas that produce off-season mangoes, with a total area of 416ha in Cao Lanh District and Cao Lanh City.