(VOVWORLD) - Established a year ago, Hung Thinh Phat Agricultural Cooperative in Long Thanh hamlet, Tien Giang province, has persuaded many local farm households to participate in a dragon fruit production model in accordance with the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) standards. This model has given farmers a new way of thinking about growing safe dragon fruit for export to demanding markets.
 Hung Thinh Phat Agricultural Cooperative is gathering dragon fruits for processing. |
Dang Hoang Minh, the owner of an orchard in Quang Ninh hamlet, Quon Long commune, and other blue dragon growers in the area who have joined the cooperative have successfully applied the dragon fruit model in accordance with VietGAP or GlobalGAP (Global Good Agricultural Practices).
Minh and other cooperative members have also learned new farming techniques to increase productivity and quality for export. Minh leads the Quang Ninh hamlet production team of farm families participating in a production partnership model.
“Belonging to the Hung Thinh Phat Cooperative is very beneficial. Though it’s new, it works very well compared to older cooperatives. Thanks to technology transfer and application of the VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, my dragon fruit can be exported to demanding markets,” said Minh.
The Hung Thinh Phat Agricultural Cooperative strives to harmonize the interests of its Board of Directors and its members. Its activities are aimed at turning out safe products to penetrate demanding markets at home and abroad. To achieve its goals, the Co-op has set up a dragon fruit growing area in accordance with VietGAP standards and is meeting GlobalGAP rules to develop a brand.
 Workers of Hung Thinh Phat Agricultural Cooperative |
The Co-op has 39 members divided into 8 teams in the hamlets of Quon Long commune, who grow 132 ha of red-, pink-, or white-fleshed fruit. In addition to growing and processing dragon fruit, the Co-op also purchases other kinds of fruits, like passion fruit, mango, and pomelo, from farmers inside and outside the province.
Each month, the Co-op processes 50 to 100 tons of dragon fruit and 50 tons of other fruits for export to Japan, the US, South Korea, and China and for supermarkets nationwide. Thanks to their good reputation and product quality, the Co-op kept operating normally during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, produced enough fruit to fulfill its contracts, and created jobs for dozens of local people.
Vo Van Lap, Director of the Rural Development Sub-Department of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said, “Because the Hung Thinh Phat Cooperative has been upgraded into a business, it plans to apply a professional agriculture production process to supply qualified products for customers and provide its members a good material zone and infrastructure.”
Lap added, “The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to build a warehouse to European standards. I’m helping the Co-op establish a cultivation code in line with a decision of the provincial People’s Committee to expand safe growing areas.”
Nguyen Trung Quy, the Co-op’s Director, said his agency is developing a production and business plan by value chains.
“We are trying to develop a safe dragon fruit production model with priority given to restructuring the organization and personnel. We plan to relocate the area code for every land plot of farm households, and request area codes to serve exports. After obtaining those area codes, we’ll implement a cooperation program for dragon fruit sales by working with companies to match production to the needs of import markets,” said Quy.