Dong Thap develops mango value chain

Dong Thap has the largest area of mango in the Mekong Delta with more than 9,300 ha. (Source: VNA)

Dong Thap (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has revamped its mango farming towards lower price, higher quality and value, GAP standards, and market-led production. 

To that end, the province has applied scientific-technological advances and developed value-added products as well as a mango value chain. 

The farming of mango has been listed as one of the five key sectors of Dong Thap in the local agricultural restructuring programme. 

The province has the largest area of mango in the Mekong Delta with more than 9,300 ha and an annual output of 90,000 tonnes. Cat Chu and Cat Hoa Loc are the major mango varieties accounting for 70 percent and 20 percent of the total mango area.

Each year, Dong Thap earns about 1.5 trillion VND (66 million USD) from mango. 

According to Nguyen Van Cong, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dong Thap has established two cooperatives and 29 groups which provide mango for Long Uyen Company, Injae Corporation of the Republic of Korea (RoK), Thuan Phong Co., Ltd, Good Life Co., Ltd and Viet Duc Food Technology Co., Ltd in an effort to develop the mango value chain. 

Such cooperatives and groups have been assisted to get the GAP certificate, which allows them to export mango to the RoK, Japan, New Zealand, China and Russia through businesses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Nguyen Hong Su, Chairman of the Cao Lanh district People’s Committee, said Cao Lanh boasts the largest area of mango in Dong Thap with over 3,600 ha, mostly Cat Chu and Hoa Loc mangoes which yield more than 11 tonne per ha and an annual output of over 40,000 tonnes. 

Of the total area, 5 ha of mango have met VietGAP standards, more than 21 ha have received the GlobalGAP certificate and tens of ha have been cultivated organically. 

Through the cooperatives and groups, Cao Lanh mango has been shipped to the RoK, Japan, New Zealand and Russia. 

Dong Thap has rolled out a project on sustainable development connection in the Dong Thap Muoi sub-region encompassing Dong Thap, Tien Giang and Long An provinces during 2018-2020 with a vision towards 2030. 

More than 6,000 ha of Cat Chu and Cat Hoa Loc mangoes in Dong Thap and over 3,900 ha in Tien Giang province, making up about a quarter of the total mango area in the Mekong Delta, have been identified as major supply sources of mango for both domestic and foreign markets