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High goals set for cacao farming
A plan to develop cacao farming through 2015, which envisages increasing the area under the crop more than six-fold, has been submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration.
The programme, drawn up by the Viet Nam Cacao Coordination Committee (VCC) and the Ministry’s Cultivation Department, also seeks to gain around 52,000 tonnes of dried cacao by 2015, and expand export value to US$50-60 million.
Cacao is used to make chocolate and cocoa, among other produce.
The area under the crop, to be increased to 60,000 hectares in 2015 from the current 9,683ha, will be increased further to 80,000ha by 2020.
The output will then go up to 108,000 tonnes and export value to $100-120 million.
Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy director of the Cultivation Department, told a conference last week that though many southern and Central Highlands provinces have climate and soil conducive to cacao cultivation and cheap labour, the crop has not become popular in the country.
"In 2008 the total area exclusively under cacao increased by only 542ha and the area where cacao trees are planted along with other crops increased by 928ha," he said.
By the end of last month, the former had risen to 1,315ha and the latter to 8,368ha, mainly in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak and southern Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Binh Phuoc.
Hoa blamed it on farmers’ lack of funds and knowledge.
To achieve the goals, he said, the Government should develop cacao in the same way as other key crops.
"In particular, the agriculture ministry needs to have long-term investment programmes to grow cacao in suitable areas. These plans must cover all aspects like supply of seeds, training in farming techniques, and providing farmers market information," he said.
He called on research institutes and universities to produce new cacao hybrids that provide high yields and good quality suitable for export and making chocolate.
Agricultural agencies had to monitor farmers’ use of hybrid seeds and farming techniques to ensure uniform cacao bean quality, he said.
Hoa stressed the need for cacao-growing provinces to create alliances between businesses and farmers and between cacao farming areas and processing plants.
VietNamNet, Viet Nam News
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