The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (MARD) has approved the implementation of two centrally funded agricultural promotion projects for the period from 2011 to 2013: Building tea production models and developing specialty fruit tree cultivation according to VietGAP (Vietnamese agriculture practices) standards.
The specialty fruit tree cultivation development, in charge by the Vietnam Gardening Association, will be carried out in Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien Hue, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Dong Thap, Long An and Tien Giang provinces. The project aims to build 490 hectares of specialty fruit tree model and provide training for nearly 2,100 farmers to grow fruit trees on larger areas, with higher productivity, quality, and competitiveness. The project has a budget of nearly VND7.3 billion.
The other project will aim for growing 50 hectares of new tea varieties with the rate of survivals of over 85 percent and 100 hectares of tea intensive farming and providing training for 1,115 farmers. VietGAP-based tea production will ensure food and environment safety, quickly replace old tea varieties of low productivity with new high-yield, good-quality varieties to supply materials for processing for domestic consumption and for export. This project, led by the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (Nomafsi), will be implemented in four provinces of Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, Yen Bai and Lam Dong and Hanoi City. The budget for this project is VND4.5 billion.
Mr Nguyen Tri Ngoc, Head of Department of Cultivation Department (MARD), said: VietGAP is only deployed in a limited scale to some crops like rice, tea, vegetables and coffee, it is a foundation for a larger scale nationwide in the coming time.
Thanh Tan
Vietnamese
