Bình Thuận to expand dragonfruit VietGAP areas

With more than 27,600ha of growing dragonfruit, Bình Thuận Province has the largest area allocated to the fruit in the country. — Photo nld.com.vn

BÌNH THUẬN — The central province of Bình Thuận, which has more than 9,500 ha of dragon fruit cultivated under VietGAP (Vietnam Good Agricultural Practices) standards, plans to expand the area to 9,800ha this year, according to the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

With more than 27,600ha of dragonfruit and 262ha for GlobalGAP, Bình Thuận Province has the largest area allocated to the fruit in the country, with annual output topping more than 550,000 tonnes, Mai Kiều, director of the department, said in a local conference on January 15.

Đào Thị Kim Dung, director of Bình Thuận’s Dragon Fruit Research and Development Centre, said that farmers were not interested in dragonfruit grown under VietGap standards because they do not receive higher prices compared to normal dragonfruit and buyers do not care about the VietGap-grown fruit.  

The province’s People’s Committee has asked departments and agencies to link farmers and buyers and support new technology for farmers, said Phạm Văn Nam, vice chairman of the committee.

The province’s dragonfruit is exported to the US, the EU, the Republic of Korea and Japan, according to the Bình Thuận Dragon Fruit Association.