Dong Thap: Great potential for fruit tree development

Dong Thap province has a strong agricultural foundation, especially in the development of fruit growing areas. The province is not only the leading region in the country in terms of fruit area and output, but is also a pioneer in building a modern, green and sustainable agriculture, aiming for official export and green growth.

LEADING FRUIT GROWING AREA IN THE COUNTRY

The fruit industry in Dong Thap province is very large in scale and has been growing steadily. Specifically, by mid-2025, the total fruit growing area in the region will reach more than 133,000 hectares, an increase of nearly 3% over the same period last year.

Durian is a specialty fruit with high economic value in Dong Thap province. Photo: MINH THANH

In the first 6 months of the year, the region harvested more than 1.34 million tons of fruit, accounting for more than half of the annual plan and up more than 6% over the same period. These figures show that the fruit industry continues to grow strongly and sustainably, despite volatile market conditions.

Thanks to fertile land, dense rivers that facilitate irrigation and transportation, along with a long tradition of fruit cultivation, Dong Thap is becoming a major center for fruit supply with a rich variety of fruit growing areas.

Dong Thap province has a large fruit output with diverse specialty fruits such as Ngu Hiep durian, jackfruit in Cai Lay, dragon fruit in Cho Gao and Hoa Loc sand mango (areas of Tien Giang province in the past)... along with Cao Lanh mango, Chau Thanh longan, Lai Vung orange and jackfruit area concentrated in Lap Vo (in the past Dong Thap province).

Speaking at the ceremony to announce the Resolution and Decision of the Central and local governments on merging provincial and commune-level administrative units, ending the operation of district-level administrative units, establishing Party organizations, appointing Party committees, People's Councils, People's Committees, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees of provinces, communes, and wards on June 30, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member and Minister of National Defense, said that Dong Thap province has a tradition of agricultural development and is considered the country's rice granary, fruit granary, and aquatic granary.

The province needs to focus on developing agriculture in an ecological, modern, high-quality direction; becoming a leading locality in building ecological agriculture, modern countryside, and civilized farmers.

Each locality has its own strengths, which when combined, create a diversity of seasonal varieties that can be supplied year-round, limit risks in prices and crops, and help to flexibly regulate market supply and demand.

With a large potential fruit growing area, the Department of Agriculture of Dong Thap province focuses on improving the quality standards of crops and fruit products to meet the requirements of official export. Currently, the whole province has 2,433 growing area codes with a total established area of over 217 thousand hectares.

Of which, the area of crop production according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP or organic standards reached more than 12,060 hectares, concentrated in large specialized areas. At the same time, hundreds of packaging, preliminary processing and processing facilities have been granted codes to serve official export.

Farmers also actively cooperate with local authorities to implement cultivation according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP production standards. Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, Head of the VietGAP Green-Skin Grapefruit Production Cooperative in Long Thuan Hamlet, Chau Thanh Commune, said: “Previously, farmers in the commune mainly grew grapefruit in the traditional way, so the quality of grapefruit was uneven.

After joining the cooperative, farmers are updated by agricultural officers on new techniques, production according to safety standards and use of biological drugs. Thereby, the quality of grapefruit is improved and has achieved VietGAP certification, helping the output of grapefruit to be more stable, no longer the scene of traders forcing down prices.

These figures show that the region’s fruit industry has initially formed a standardized production system that meets the strict requirements of international markets such as the US, Australia, South Korea and the EU; while continuing to maintain its advantages in traditional markets such as China. This is also the basis for increasing the value of agricultural products, gradually reducing dependence on informal consumption channels and building its own fruit brand in the world market.

TOWARDS GREEN AGRICULTURE

Dong Thap is currently focusing on implementing solutions to develop fruit trees associated with improving the value and quality of products. The provincial Department of Agriculture has coordinated to implement many programs to guide farmers in applying technical advances in production, such as using biological products, microbial organic fertilizers, fruit wrapping techniques, and water-saving irrigation, contributing to reducing costs and improving productivity and product quality.

Deep processing is one of the solutions to increase the value of fruit trees in Dong Thap province in the coming time. Photo: Workers check and process red-fleshed dragon fruit before freeze-drying at THABICO Company.

In addition, the inspection and supervision of agricultural materials such as fertilizers and pesticides have also been strengthened to ensure food safety and environmental protection. However, fruit production in the region still faces difficulties, especially the lack of facilities for preliminary processing, processing and post-harvest preservation in some localities.

Some places do not have enough cold storage or specialized logistics systems for agricultural products. Fruit prices sometimes drop, affecting farmers' income. The work of linking the value chain from production to consumption is still limited, the construction of new-style cooperatives and cooperative groups associated with consumer enterprises is not really synchronous, small-scale, and unsustainable. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions and plant diseases pose many risks that affect the productivity and quality of agricultural products.

Many areas of green-skinned grapefruit in Dong Thap province have met VietGAP standards.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap, in the coming time, the industry aims to increase GRDP growth in the agriculture - forestry - fishery sector to 4.1% in 2025. The area of fruit trees will continue to be maintained at over 130 thousand hectares, quality and value will be improved through production according to standards, application of high technology, deep processing and market connection.

The focus is on guiding farmers to produce according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic processes and replicating models using biological products and microbial organic fertilizers; at the same time, limiting the use of chemical pesticides to ensure food safety and environmental protection. The industry will also strengthen the management of agricultural materials, step up market inspections, and combine propaganda on the use of input materials in accordance with regulations.

The issuance of growing area codes and packing facility codes continues to be implemented to meet the requirements of traceability, especially for exported agricultural products. In addition, the agricultural sector aims to continue to link the value chain between production and consumption, build cooperatives and cooperative groups, strengthen supply-demand connections, and promote trade, thereby creating more favorable conditions for product consumption and stabilizing farmers' income.

C. WIN

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202508/dong-thap-tiem-nang-lon-de-phat-trien-cay-an-trai-1047772/