Effectiveness of the models

According to Mr. Cong Xuan Ngoc, Director of the Son La Agricultural Extension Center, the Northwest region in general, and Son La in particular, has weather, climate, and soil characteristics that are very suitable for growing tropical, temperate, and subtropical fruit trees, so they are always considered by local authorities and specialized agencies as the main crop group in agricultural production.

However, due to the hilly plateau terrain, inconvenient transportation, and distance from major consumption and processing centers, fruit production here still faces many difficulties.

In order to effectively exploit the potential and advantages of the highlands, and gradually transform the Northwest into a major concentrated fruit production area, applying advanced technologies synchronously, based on sustainable linkages between cooperatives and processing and export enterprises, the National Agricultural Extension Center has implemented the project: "Building a model of fruit production according to VietGAP to serve the development of raw material areas associated with consumption linkages in some Northwest provinces," assigning the Son La Agricultural Extension Center as the coordinating agency for implementation.

Leaders of the Son La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development inspect the passion fruit cultivation model of the project implemented by the Son La Agricultural Extension Center.
Implementation across the province.

The project, implemented over three years (2022-2024), focuses on the production of fruits including mangoes, pineapples, and passion fruit in three provinces: Hoa Binh, Son La, and Dien Bien. To date, it has successfully achieved its objectives and plans. The Son La Agricultural Extension Center alone has established eight VietGAP-certified intensive fruit cultivation models covering a total area of ​​85 hectares. The fruit varieties used in the project's models are all new, high-yielding, and high-quality varieties such as the GL4 mango variety, the DG1 passion fruit variety, and the Queen pineapple variety. These include three mango production models (60 hectares/3 years), one passion fruit production model (5 hectares), and four pineapple production models (20 hectares). The demonstration models were implemented in the districts of Mai Son, Yen Chau, Thuan Chau, Muong La, and Song Ma.

As a result, productivity and production efficiency in the project's models increased significantly compared to the control group, by 10-20%. All products received VietGAP certification and were exported fresh to China, the US, and European countries, or purchased by Dong Giao Export Food Joint Stock Company (Doveco) and Tuan Tai Joint Stock Company for processing and export. The project has initially created stable fruit raw material areas, with assigned planting area codes and traceability systems.

This pineapple cultivation model is part of a project in Dien Bien province.

Mr. Lo Van Ngoan, from Huoi Mo village, Chieng Khuong commune (Song Ma district, Son La province), planted 3 hectares of Queen pineapples in the Project, achieving a yield of 30-45 tons of fruit per hectare (depending on the year). After deducting all investment costs, he earned a profit of 70-130 million VND per year, which is 15-25% higher than pineapple production areas outside the model.

Mr. Ngoan happily shared that, thanks to the support, training, and technical guidance from agricultural extension officers, he has earned nearly 400 million VND annually from pineapple cultivation for the past three years and has mastered intensive farming techniques, especially techniques for producing off-season and staggered pineapple fruit. Mr. Ngoan said he will continue to expand his pineapple cultivation area in the coming years.

At the passion fruit cultivation model of Mr. Lo Van Sam in Chi village, Chieng Luong commune (Mai Son district) and the GL4 mango cultivation model of Song Ma Mango Agricultural Service Cooperative in Hung Mai village, Na Nghiu commune (Song Ma district), we also observed similar results, with production efficiency increasing by 15-30% compared to households outside the model (depending on whether mango or passion fruit production).

Difficulties and challenges

Mr. Cong Xuan Ngoc, Director of the Son La Agricultural Extension Center, said that during the implementation of the Project, many farming households were found to have a habit of using cheap, highly toxic pesticides, leading to difficulties in disseminating information and guiding production; most households participating in the model lacked knowledge of caring for mangoes, passion fruit, and pineapples according to VietGAP standards, especially in the following areas: balanced fertilization techniques, pruning and shaping, flower induction, and integrated pest management (IPM) on fruit trees.

Furthermore, intensive investment in mango cultivation for export requires a very large amount of capital, exceeding the investment capacity of most households, especially the need to purchase high-quality fruit bagging materials. Therefore, farmers are hesitant to invest in production to create a safe, high-yield fruit raw material area for domestic consumption and export.

On the other hand, due to the lack of linkages and sharing of production experience among farmers, and the incomplete coverage of product purchase contracts, there are significant differences in the productivity, quality, and efficiency of fruit cultivation among households.

Businesses are purchasing pineapple products under the Project in Dien Bien province.

Expand production

Besides successfully developing local models, the Son La Agricultural Extension Center also effectively coordinated the implementation of VietGAP pineapple and passion fruit production models in Mai Chau and Yen Thuy districts (Hoa Binh province), and Muong Cha district (Dien Bien province). The total fruit production of the entire project is estimated at nearly 2,880 tons (fresh fruit) of all types.

The project's results will serve as a basis for provinces to issue policies supporting farmers in converting low-efficiency crop areas to high-value crops and promoting the rapid formation of cooperatives and production groups for concentrated fruit production in the area. At the same time, it will contribute to changing the small-scale production practices of the people to concentrated, commodity-oriented production, increasing farmers' income and fostering linkages between economic sectors. The project's models will serve as destinations for farmers in the area to visit, learn from, and expand their production.

Source: Rural Economy e-magazine