Hanoi's agribusinesses are developing high-value orchards with a focus on sustainability, using high-tech production, VietGAP and organic farming, and planting area codes.
| Dien polemo planting area in Nam Phuong Tien Commune, Chuong My District. Photos: Anh Ngoc/ The Hanoi Times |
Over the years, Hanoi's agricultural industry has made great efforts to ensure pomelo is grown safely and organically. The city has developed two pomelo plantation areas that meet organic standards, which opens up opportunities for Vietnam to penetrate demanding markets such as the United States and the European Union.
Hoang Thi Hoa, director of the Hanoi Agricultural Development Center, said the US Department of Agriculture gave the pomelo varieties high marks for quality and taste.
After learning the USDA import regulations, the Municipal Agricultural Development Center will coordinate with localities to review and re-evaluate the concentrated production areas eligible for export and then register the pomelo growing area code in the coming period.
Late ripening longan is one of Hanoi's most important agricultural export products, which has been given priority to improve its economic efficiency. With new technical advances in cultivation, the fruit from Dai Thanh commune in Quoc Oai district has been exported to the USA, Australia, and Malaysia.
Pham Quang Tuan, deputy chairman of the Quoc Oai District People's Committee, said the fruit quality had improved thanks to support from the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in intensive farming, production according to VietGAP, and the use of technical production methods.
He added that there are currently more than 115 hectares of orchards with a productivity of 2,500 tons per year. It is estimated that each hectare of late-ripening longan will generate a profit of more than VND300 million (US$12,800) per year, which is higher than the conventional method.
According to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the city has more than 22,000 hectares planted with all kinds of fruit trees, including 14 high-value fruit-growing zones covering 15,500 hectares, mainly in Dan Phuong, Chuong My, Phuc Tho, and Quoc Oai districts. The main fruits, such as pomelo, orange, banana, and longan, bring high economic value to the city, generating annual revenues of VND300-800 million ($12,800-34,110) per hectare.
Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries exports were estimated at $1.75 billion by 2022, including $871 million for agriculture products, up 12.2 percent from the previous year, and $883 million for wood and wood products, up 17.5 percent of the prior year.
Some of the city's vital agricultural products are of high quality and exported to other countries, such as late ripening longan (Quoc Oai District) to the USA; Dong Phu organic rice (Chuong My District) to Germany; Van Duc vegetables (Gia Lam District) to South Korea; pink pepper banana to China.
| Fresh late-ripening longan grown by Dai Thanh Commune in Quoc Oai District has been exported to the US, Australia and Malaysia. |
According to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the city will expand fruit farming models using high-tech agricultural processes and standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic regulations to promote its agricultural products.
In line with this, the city will invest in upgrading infrastructure in fruit-growing areas, applying mechanization and high technology, and organizing large-scale production.
Nguyen Manh Phuong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture, said that over the years, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture has coordinated with many districts and related units to hold training courses and transfer scientific and technical advances in garden renovation according to VietGAP standards. At the same time, the department has supported the establishment of cooperative groups and cooperatives to strengthen the link between production and consumption.
Phuong said: "Recently, many production households have been actively investing in automatic irrigation systems and the renovation of planting areas to improve their economic efficiency. Meanwhile, the local government has also encouraged farmers to choose high-quality seedlings suited to each region's climatic and soil conditions and to manage the technical process," Phuong said.
The city has implemented various solutions to find new markets to export, in particular, it has completed a planted area map, which defines each area suitable for developing certain fruit trees, he pointed out.
By 2030, Hanoi aims to have 50-70 percent of its total agricultural production area of fruits certified for quality to meet the requirements of domestic and foreign markets, according to the latest plan of the Hanoi People's Committee. The spearhead of the capital's agricultural sector will be organic agricultural production.
