In order to gradually restore the brand name, develop specialty orchards, in recent years, Thuan An City has stipulated many support policies, solutions to renovating, improve productivity, the quality of fruit gardens, and increase income of farmers in the area.
Specialty orchards of Lai Thieu are widely known by visitors.
To carry out many solutions
Thuan An City is known for its many kinds of specialty fruits branded "Lai Thieu". In particular, Lai Thieu mangosteen has been known as one of the 50 specialty fruits in Vietnam that is confirmed by the Vietnam Guinness book. However, in recent years, the orchards have shown signs of decline in productivity and quality. The number of visitors and economic profits also decreased. Therefore, the life of gardeners has not been significantly improved, and are also afraid to invest in orchards.
Thuan An City determines the maintenance of orchards plays an important role in the city's development roadmap, and is considered to be the lung, has an impact in protecting the environment, creating beautiful landscapes, and developing ecological tourism. In order to gradually reconstruct specialty orchards, Thuan An City Party Committee issued Program 07-CTr/TU on investment in urban agriculture development, maintaining and improving the quality and efficiency of orchards combined with ecological tourism in period 2015-2020; the city People's Committee set up Plan No.1216/KH-UB for the performance.
To implement Decision No. 63/2016/QD-UBND on 20 Dec 2016 of PPC on the maintenance and development of specialty orchards of Binh Duong in 2017-2021, Thuan An City encouraged residents to register and participate in to enjoy incentive policy. Due to this policy, farmers in the area have been supported in terms of fertilizers and expenses of caring for ditches and gardens. This has motivated farmers to actively stick to orchards and maintain their brand name.
Accordingly, the city formed a chain of links between farmers and gardeners in cultivation and trading of Lai Thieu mangosteen in An Son commune and wards of An Thanh, Hung Binh, Binh Nham. In addition, farmers were instructed to implement VietGAP production process. In addition, every year, thanks to budget allocation, local government supported and supplied stamps, trademarks, packaging to merchants and farmers. Thuan An City invested in renovation, efficiently exploited agricultural production sites combined with ecological tourism...
Dinh Van Hau, Vice Chairman of An Son People's Committee, said to implement well the goals of of ecotourism development, this commune have implemented many solutions to develop agricultural economy towards urbanization. In which, new and intensive cultivation support policy, garden care; support for poor crops, technical consultants, sightseeing etc. have been implemented to build orchards that meet the standards associated with developing ecological tourism.
Tourism development
Since the brand name of Lai Thieu mangosteen was recognized by Intellectual Property Department, gardeners have gradually been conscious of linking to each other. The organization of clubs or collective economic groups is to have the same production process for a uniform good quality of fruit trees, stable yield and prestige on the market.
Tran Van Vien, Director of An Son Cooperative (An Son commune), said that the commune accounted for 70% of the cultivation area of Thuan An City. In order to elevate the brand name of Lai Thieu mangosteen, cooperatives need to follow VietGAP, apply more than 7 households with a large area of mangosteen trees, and then gather on cooperatives, look for a stable, long-term direction. However, currently gardeners of the commune still do their job spontaneously, sell to small markets, and depend on middlemen.
In order to continue preserving and developing long-standing orchards, the province has had many policies for developing specialty orchards and soon be implemented. Thuan An City also has focus on searching for measures to renovate, improve productivity, quality of orchards. Currently, the city is implementing projects, such as "Planning for Lai Thieu orchard tourist area in the direction of sustainable development".
Do Thanh Su, Vice Chairman of Thuan An City People's Committee, said: "The development of orchards must be maintained firstly by a strong impact on the development of ecological tourism. In order to do this, over the past years, local government has many solutions to maintain specialty orchards. Orchards must be beautiful, be developed according to VietGAP, fruit products meet quality standards, have clear origin, brand name, attractive packaging. In addition, local government cooperated with provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to select households who meet the requirements of area and capital, then the State will support the construction of ecological tourist sites, homestay, or forms combining orchards, ornamental gardens to attract visitors. One of the more favorable conditions is when An Son Port officially is put into operation, there will be a wharf for carrying tourists from Ho Chi Minh City to An Son commune conveniently and easily".
Reported by Thoai Phuong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
