Focusing on Developing Staple Crops

Granted many specific advantages, the agriculture sector has annually contributed 46-48 percent to provincial GDP and accounted for a large proportion of export turnover. Total export value of agricultural products in 2011 reached US$213.5 million, making up 84.2 percent of the whole provincial export turnover, largely from staple crops. Tea has been planted in Lam Dong for over 70 years. At present, this is the locality with the largest tea area in the country with 23,529ha, equal to 20 percent of the national tea area. The provincial tea yield of 8.4 tonnes/ha is also higher that the national average one of 6.4 tonnes/ha. In 2011, the total provincial tea production was 172,000 tonnes, in which 13,212 tonnes was exported, bringing profit of US$22 million.

 

Coffee has been grown in Lam Dong for more than 50 years and has been a focus of development for the past 15 years. The current provincial coffee area is 144,174 ha, ranked the second across the country while the area of tea and coffee is at the top (approximately 15,000ha). In 2011, total provincial coffee production was 347,138 tonnes, in which 61,782 tonnes was for direct export, returning the value of US$141.9 million, and accounting for 56 percent of total provincial export turnover.

 

Besides, Lam Dong also has advantages of planting mulberry and raising silkworms (on the area of 3,824ha), and growing and exporting cashew nuts (on the area of 15,600ha). The export values of provincial silk products and cashew nuts in 2011 were US$17.735 million and US$11.7 million, respectively.

 

Flowers are also one of the provincial staples and developed mainly in Dalat City, and Lac Duong, Don Duong and Duc Trong districts. There are many varieties of flowers in Lam Dong which are of high quality and grown with the application of high technology. Total flower area is about 4,000 ha, bringing annual production of 1.3-1.4 billion plants. However, at the moment, flowers now are mainly for domestic consumption and with low export volume (about 12 percent). The flower export value in 2011 was US$19.8 million.

 

According to Deputy Director Nguyen Quang Son of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, generally agricultural staple crops in Lam Dong have been oriented and arranged for production in regions with appropriate conditions. So far, the area has been basically stable without and orientation toward area expansion, but a focus on investment, intensification, new technology and technical application in production to increase productivity, quality and varieties to suit market demand and taste. Concentration is laid on production with guarantee of food hygiene and national as well as international quality standards to boost export. Meanwhile, attention is paid to post-harvest preliminary processing and storage in order to avoid losses in quantity and quality.

 

As for coffee, by 2015, the province will continue to stabilize the existing area, convert the inappropriate regions to other crops; concentrate on improving 33,000 ha of stunted coffee; develop coffee tea in suitable areas (on the scale of 25,000ha) and expand area of coffee grown under certified standards to 50,000ha.

 

As for tea, attention is paid to improving stunted tea variety so that by 2015 high quality and high yield tea will account for over 50 percent (4,200ha high quality tea and 8,000 high yield tea); as well as planning and implementation for tea concentration production region on 20,000ha.

 

With regard to flowers, the province will maintain the existing production area, invest in intensification and adopt suitable cultivation methods to increase land efficiency, raising plantation area and output. It is targeted that by 2015, there will be 4,500 ha of flowers. Flower production will be fostered in the direction of applying high technologies so that by 2015, high-tech production will cover 1,150ha flowers.