HANOI - Irmen Mantingh of Fresh Studio Vietnam reports on Vietnam’s developing fruit and vegetable sector and the company’s activities in this burgeoning economy

The best avocados in Vietnam come from Dak Lak Province, where about 250,000 avocado trees are grown. After an extensive supply chain analysis, all actors in the avocado sector were brought together and an action plan was developed.

One of the main activities was the creation of a consumer awareness campaign to grow the domestic market demand for avocado. Another important activity was to create a higher quality avocado, and to determine an introductory label (DAKADO) which would later be harnessed as a real brand.

Vietnamese agriculture has risen to remarkable heights since the government liberalised the sector from state control following a spate of crop failures that led the country to the verge of famine in the 1980s.The incumbent’s Doi Moi reforms (open door policies) redistributed land to growers and gave rise to a farming renaissance that has seen rice production soar and producers turn their hands to a raft of “new” commodities.

From a country haunted by food shortages, Vietnam has become one of the world’s largest exporters of crops like black pepper (world’s biggest), coffee (world’s second), tea, rice, cashew and rubber. The agriculture sector contributes 20 per cent to the GDP (ADB, 2004) and total agriculture export turnover reached US$5.8bn in 2005 (up by 29 per cent on 2004). Around 60 per cent of Vietnam’s total labour force depends on agriculture.

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Source: AsiaFruit Magazine

Publication date: June 2006