Dragon fruit farmers supported with energy-saving lights

More than 2,300 households growing dragon fruits in Binh Thuan, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces have been assisted to replace 2 million incandescent bulbs with energy-saving lights from July 2014.

The Southern Power Corporation of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN SPC) held a conference in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan on April 12 to review a programme assisting farmers with energy-saving lights in 2014-2016.

When buying the 20W compact lamps from domestic lamp businesses of Dien Quang and Rang Dong, farmers will enjoy a discount of at least 10% compared to the normal retail price on the market and late payment of 3-6 months.

The programme worth over VND17.5 billion (US$772,000) also supported farmers to install lights and apply safety usage measures.

Close to 54,523 MWh of electricity could be saved each year, equivalent to VND82 billion (US$3.6 million).

Deputy Director of the SPC Nguyen Phuoc Duc said the use of energy-saving lights helps farmers reduce agricultural production cost and increase their awareness of electricity saving and safe production.

It also contributes to reducing the emissions of 200,000 tonnes of CO2 and protecting the environment, he added.

Binh Thuan is home to over 26,000 hectares of dragon fruits involving 20,000 farming households.

More than 81% of lamps used for growing dragon fruit at present are energy-saving.