Vietnam harvests first world-standard cocoa crop

This is the first tons toward the total 560 tons of UTZ-certified cocoa Vietnam plans to harvest this year as part of its UTZ Good Inside Cocoa Program.

Tran Quoc Vuong, Director of Cargill Vietnam’s cocoa purchasing program, said more and more local growers would switch to world standard practices now that UTZ-certified cocoa are fetching much higher prices on the market.

The price for UTZ certified cocoa is around VND64.4 million (US$3,083.5) per ton, VND2 million ($95.7) higher than uncertified products.

At the present, however, only 670 hectares of the 5,000 hectares of cocoa to be harvested countrywide this year are UTZ-certified.

Vietnam’s cocoa plantations, totaling 16,000 hectares, are located mainly in the southern provinces of Ben Tre and Ba Ria-Vung Tau and the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong.

tuoitrenews, TBKTSG

>   Ministries hesitant to approve price increases, petroleum market chaotic (24/02/2011)

>   Fertiliser industry aims to curb speculation (23/02/2011)

>   Experts worry about Mekong River power plant (23/02/2011)

>   Vietnam Airlines offers sales for Asian flights (23/02/2011)

>   Fertiliser industry aims to curb speculation (23/02/2011)

>   Industry struggles with rising costs (23/02/2011)

>   Rice export floor price goes up (23/02/2011)

>   Cattle breeding plans to reach 8 percent growth in value (23/02/2011)

>   Private airlines running the risks of having operation licenses revoked (23/02/2011)

>   Car prices escalating on more expensive dollar, car sales slow down (23/02/2011)