Vietnam Agriculture - Weekly Summary (29 October - 4 November 2018)

Nieuwsbericht | 05-11-2018 | 08:08

A weekly summary of agriculture development and production in Vietnam by VietLinh online.

Aquaculture:

Since the past 10 months, shrimp post-larvae and juvenile production in Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province has been evaluated to be stable. The output reaches 16.8 billion post-larvae, or 93.2% of the plan. Quality of shrimp is also assured to supply Binh Thuan Province and markets in southern provinces.

From the beginning of the year until now, the price of commercial shrimp has been low without signs of increasing again. Along with that, prolonged hot weather limits shrimp stocking and farming. Thus, the production of shrimp post-larvae and juveniles declines compared to the same period last year.

According to the agriculture sector of Tuy Phong District, by the end of the year, the production of shrimp post-larvae and juvenile will increase thanks to the favorable weather and the start of new shrimp crops.

Processing, Import and Export:

According to the International Trade Center (ITC), in the first 8 months of 2018, South Korea imported 48.7 thousand tons of shrimp, which was worth $415.4 million. This was an increase of 13% in volume and 13.5% in value compared to the same period in 2017.

In particular, South Korea imported 27.4 thousand tons of shrimp from Vietnam, valued at $239.2 million. This was an increase of 21% in volume and 19.7% in value over the same period last year. With this growth rate, the proportion of Vietnam's shrimp to the total shrimp imported to South Korea continues to increase, rising from 52.6% in the first 8 months of 2017 to 56.3% in the first 8 months of 2018.

Livestock:

Up to now, Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province, has 107 chicken farms with an average size of 9,000 chickens/farm/year (an increase of 4,000 chickens compared to 2013).

According to statistics, 13 chicken farms in the district received their VietGAP standard certifications for safe products. Many households have also formed associations and cooperatives for connection and development.

Cooperatives provide chicks, feeds and output solutions for farmers. They contribute to the development of chicken farming. Farmers also earn a stable income. On average, with the size of 1,000 chickens, farmers can earn a profit of VND30-40 million.

Plantation:

UTZ Vietnam said that Dak Lak Province has 29 units processing and producing UTZ certified coffee. This is an increase of 2 units compared to 2017.

Specifically, there are 9 units certified as coffee processing plants for export that meet the UTZ standard. 20 other units receive their UTZ certification as coffee producers. The total number of farmers participating in UTZ-standard coffee production is 12,284 households, an increase of 1,968 households compared to 2017. In addition, 15,688.3 hectares of coffee are certified by UTZ. This is an increase of 2,008.9 hectares. The output of coffee registering for UTZ reaches more than 59,495 tons, an increase of 5,227 tons compared to last year.

It is known that 7/12 units are granted the right to use the “Buon Ma Thuot coffee” geographical indication to produce UTZ certified coffee. There are 5,963 households (an increase of 900 households compared to 2017) participating in the production process of “Buon Ma Thuot coffee.” The total farming area reaches 6,324 hectares (an increase of 793 hectares), and the output reaches more than 23,633 tons (up more than 2,351 tons).

Farmers, Agriculture, Countryside:

Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is directing many specialized agencies to build brands for key products such as rice, coffee, Tra fish and shrimp. The Ministry suggests the use of geographical indications for local specialties in order to protect and register the trademarks of Vietnam's agricultural products.

According to the Ministry, by the end of 2017, Vietnam had 58 geographical indications, including 52 geographical indications of Vietnam’s products and 6 geographical indications of products with foreign origins. Along with that, 33 provinces and cities have their own geographical indications. 11 provinces having two different geographical indications are Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Son La, Lang Son, and Binh Thuan.

Pet, Flowers and Ornamental Plants:

Sa Pa District, Lao Cai Province has more than 1,000 households cultivating Cymbidium orchids. They mainly concentrate in Ta Phin, Ban Khoang, Ta Giang Phin and San Sa Ho Communes. It is predicted that the district will supply to the Lunar New Year market this year 15,000 pots of Cymbidium orchids.

In 2017, Cymbidium orchid farming brought over VND50 billion of revenue to the district’s agricultural sector. If the average selling price is VND4 million/pot of orchids, with 15,000 pots this year, the expected revenue can reach up to VND60 billion. Sa Pa District has established different policies to encourage the development of orchid farming. Some of them include training farmers in techniques of cultivation and care, connecting households together to share their farming experiences, or supporting farmers to advertise local Cymbidium orchids.