Sustainable citrus value chains in Vietnam through SUCCEEDs project

Besides its importance for farmers, citrus is also crucial for the health of Vietnam’s 100 million consumers. Every year, citrus farmers supply the domestic market with about 3.5 million tons of oranges, pomelo, mandarins and limes - fruits full of essential vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber for fruit-loving Vietnamese consumers.

Smallholders face growing challenges

Most smallholder citrus farmers are based in the Mekong Delta and Southeastern Vietnam. They face increasing challenges, including:
•    Increasing disease pressure such as Citrus Greening Disease and Phytophthora.
•    Climate change impacts such as salinization of the Mekong Delta because of rising sea levels and land subsidence.
•    Volatile dry and wet seasons, with longer and much hotter dry seasons, and much heavier downpours in the rainy season, leading to orchard flooding
•    Lack of access to high-quality, disease-free seedlings and fact-based soil and nutrient management advice.
Due to these challenges, citrus orchards in the Mekong Delta have a very short economic lifespan. Orange farmers cut their trees after just a few years, while lime trees last seven years before being cut and replanted; and pomelo takes even longer to bear fruit. Since trees need two to four years to produce, farmers face negative cash flow early on, followed by only a few profitable years before yields decline and the costly replanting cycle begins again. 

Developing a successful sustainable citrus value chain

Despite these challenges, significant opportunities exist for citrus farmers. The Dutch-Vietnamese fruit company The Fruit Republic (TFR) has successfully developed domestic and international markets for Vietnamese citrus. Since its founding in Can Tho in 2012, TFR has become Vietnam’s leading fruit company and the world’s only year-round exporter of pomelo and lime certified by GLOBALG.A.P., LEAF, GRASP, ETI, and BRC. TFR operates advanced packing and fresh-cut facility in Can Tho, as well as distribution centers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Rotterdam (the Netherlands). Through contract farming, extension support services, and quality assurance systems, TFR has built a value chain that enables smallholders to supply premium Southern Vietnamese citrus to millions of consumers in Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Oceania.

Transforming the citrus sector

With the goal of transforming the citrus sector in the Mekong Delta and Southeastern Vietnam, The Fruit Republic and five partners launched the SUCCEEDs project (Sustainable Citrus Chain Empowering and Developing Smallholders in the Mekong Delta). The initiative aims to improve profitability and sustainability for 150,000 smallholder farmers who depend on citrus production.

Formed by the companies Kloosterboer and The Fruit Republic in partnership with Rabo Foundation, Can Tho University, and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tay Ninh Province, this public-private collaboration is funded by the partners and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Sustainable Development Goals Program (SDGP), managed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). SUCCEEDs strengthens the citrus value chain by supporting 500 farmers toward GLOBALG.A.P. certification, improving nurseries to provide 20,000 farmers with high-quality, disease-free seedlings, promoting better farm management, access to finance, certification support, and stronger market connections to boost productivity, resilience and sustainability across the value chain.

The project directly supports citrus smallholders through:
•    Improved Farm Management: Intensive training programs at the three SUCCEEDs Citrus Training Farms for farmers and extension staff. 
•    Certified value chain: Training and support to meet GLOBALG.A.P., GRASP, and LEAF standards.
•    Nutrient Management: Tailored fertilizer advice to boost yield, profitability, and sustainability.
•    Access to Finance: Enabling investments for GLOBALG.A.P. farm infrastructure, adoption of improved farming practices and farm technologies.
•    Seedling Supply: High-quality seedlings from professional nurseries, trained at the SUCCEEDs Nursery and supported by the access to finance program.
•    Market development: National consumer awareness campaign about the importance and health benefits of sustainably farmed citrus. 
 

One of the major issues affecting the Mekong Delta is land subsidence, largely caused by unsustainable groundwater extraction for agriculture. At the SUCCEEDS training farm, the Innovation Mission observed a practical solution to eliminate groundwater use. Rainwater is harvested and stored in an on‑farm reservoir, and irrigation during the dry season is supplied via drip irrigation, preventing the need for groundwater mining.

For farmers, adopting such systems requires weighing costs and benefits. Investments include, allocating land for a water reservoir, constructing the reservoir, installing drip irrigation and fertigation systems and purchasing a pump. However, the benefits are significant. Reliable freshwater supply during the dry season helps to prevent saltwater damage that shortens the economic life of citrus trees, avoid failed flowering in March–April, typically caused by drought stress, and improve yields and fruit quality. Over the coming seasons, the SUCCEEDS training farms will demonstrate that higher yields and longer productive lifespans outweigh the initial costs.

Participants also explored several other climate smart innovations implemented on the farm. Such as solar-powered irrigation and drainage pumps. During the dry season, these pumps supply water from the reservoir to the orchard, while during the rainy season, the same system helps drain excess water - reducing flood stress. 
The project team demonstrated new techniques for branch bending of young citrus trees and improved pruning practices. These approaches shape trees into a pyramid canopy, resulting in more evenly distributed fruit clusters, better light penetration. This results in higher yields and a larger share of premium-grade fruit.
 

Strengthening resilience in a changing climate

The visit offered an opportunity for lively exchange between the SUCCEEDS team and the Innovation Mission participants. It also highlighted the broader impact of the project: strengthening citrus production systems not only improves farm profitability, but also enhances water-use efficiency and climate resilience in a region increasingly affected by salinity intrusion and weather extremes.