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Da Lat celebrates its first vegetable festival
The Central Highlands resort town of Da Lat Friday launched its first vegetable festival as part of its 115th birthday celebrations.
The Da Lat Vegetable Festival honors the town’s vegetable growing and processing sector, said Tran Tuong, deputy chairman of Da Lat Town People’s Committee.
Showcasing various kinds of fresh vegetables grown in the area, the one-day festival also offered local companies and growers a chance to exchange and cooperate, according to Tuong.
The festival featured a market of local vegetables, such as artichokes, cabbages, tomatoes, chilies and potatoes offered by 24 businesses at preferential prices to local people and visitors.
Festival games included cooking with vegetables and fashion design from vegetables.
The Da Lat administration honored 30 farmers for their skill in growing vegetables.
Since imported flowers and vegetables were first grown in the late 19th century on 12 hectares of land, Da Lat’s flower, fruit and vegetable-growing area has expanded to more than 9,500 hectares.
It is estimated that more than 11,300 local families, dozens of businesses and cooperatives and nearly 200 farms are involved in the town’s vegetable-growing industry.
Each year the famous town harvests some 230,000 tons of vegetables for the market, including 20,000 tons exported to foreign countries like Japan and Singapore bearing the Da Lat Vegetables trademark.
Vegetable growers are estimated to earn VND150 million (US$9,072) per hectare annually, and as much as VND400 million ($24,192) for organic vegetables.
Despite the achievements, the town needs to overcome shortcomings in cultivating, processing and preserving as well as promotion and marketing, Tuong said.
The town’s 115th Birthday Celebration Festival Week was launched on Wednesday and will last for five days.
Gia Binh – Lam Vien
thanhnien
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