Tien Giang (VNA) – Promoting links between production and consumption of fruit in the Mekong Delta was the focu♌s of discussion at a forum in Tien Giang province on August 12.

Le Hoang Anh from My Hung Hoa hamlet, My Xuong commune, Cao Lanh district, Dong Thap province has 1.2 hectares of mango trees, producing 15 tonnes per year. He expressed his concern over unstable consumption and price, saying that these give difficulties to mango growers. Farmer Vu Suoi from Hoa Tien commune, Vi Thanh city in Hau Giang province has six hectares of renowned-Cau Duc pineapples, producing between 90-120 tonnes of pineapples per year, generating some 100 million VND (4,500 USD) in profit. According to Suoi, not much local fruit was sold to processing facilities. In peak harvest season, local farmers had to take their products to markets. He suggested more fruit processing plants be built and connection between farmers and enterprises be enhanced to ensure stable production and consumption. Nguyen Huu Dat from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association underlined the need for establishing cooperatives and applying technologies in producing fruit to ensure sustainable development of the sector in the context of international integration. He also attached significance to the role of enterprises and relevant bodies in strengthening the link between production and consumption in order to boost the development of the fruit industry in the Mekong Delta. Meanwhile, Duong Canh Dan from the Hoa Loi Cooperative in Hoa Ninh commune, Long Ho district, Vinh Long province stressed the need for producing high-quality fruit with sufficient quantity to meet the demand of enterprises. He also called on support from the Government and enterprises for cooperatives in trade promotion, brand name building and consumption. The Mekong Delta has over 307,000 hectares of orchards, accounting for 37.5 percent of the national area, producing some 3.5 million tonnes of fruit annually. The fruit trees are mostly grown in Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Ben Tre. The region has 9,400 hectares of dragonfruit, over 150 hectares of mango, nearly 50 hectares of durian and 120 hectares of longan, meeting VietGAP or GlobalGAP standards. In 2015, Vietnamese fruits were shipped to 60 nations and territories in the world, earning over 1.8 billion USD, eight times higher than that in 2005. In the seven months of 2016, Vietnam exported nearly 1.4 billion USD worth of fruit, up 135.5 percent year-on-year.-VNA