Binh Dinh chili is less nervous: Organic farming for export

Changing farming thinking for farmers

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy, Director of Tran Gia Agricultural Products and Food Processing Export Company (Tran Gia Company), said that to gradually build a chili raw material area, in 2023, the company linked with Cat Tai Agricultural Cooperative (Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh) to build a chili growing model following VietGAP direction with an area of 5 hectares. 60 farmer households participating in the linkage chain were transferred the farming process by Tran Gia Company and directly guided and controlled the pepper care process by Cat Tai Agricultural Cooperative.

According to Ms. Thuy, up to now, in addition to Cat Tai Agricultural Cooperative, Tran Gia Company has expanded its linkage with My Quang and My Chanh Tay Agricultural Cooperatives (Phu My district) to purchase chili. In the coming time, Tran Gia Company will continue to work with agricultural cooperatives in Tay Son district to expand the linkage chain.

Recently, Binh Dinh Agricultural Extension Center had a direct discussion with representatives of 70 farmer households in three Cat Tai, Cat Minh, and Cat Hanh communes about chili production according to VietGAP standards associated with product consumption. Farmers are guided in chili farming techniques according to VietGAP standards, methods to use pesticides and integrated pest management on chili plants, building planting area codes and traceability, etc.

"In addition, chili-growing households also heard the functional sector talk about the orientation of building a linkage chain of chili production and consumption in Phu Cat district and Tran Gia Company's plan to link chili consumption in the winter-spring crop of 2024-2025 and the coming time," shared Mr. Luong Van Khoa, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Cat district.

"Erase" the habit of abusing chemical pesticides

After a period of purchasing chili in the Binh Dinh area, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy, Director of Tran Gia Company, said that according to customers' comments, Binh Dinh chili is of good quality, but during the farming process, farmers have still abused chemical fertilizers and pesticides. "This needs to be changed to meet the requirements of importers of products processed from chili," shared Ms. Thuy.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, General Director of Vinanutrifood Binh Dinh Joint Stock Company, the company is building the company's centralized agricultural and forestry products production and processing factory in Tay Son district (Binh Dinh) on an area of 10 hectares, with a total investment capital of nearly VND 500 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2027, the project will be completed and put into operation. Regarding agricultural product processing, the factory will have lines of processing mango with an output of 5,553 tons/year and processing 20,000 fresh diamond coconuts/day, 30,000 skull coconuts/day, and 20,000 copra coconuts/day; and especially have a chili processing line with a capacity of 5 tons/day.

According to Ms. Hang, when the factory comes into operation, Vinanutrifood Binh Dinh Company will build an organic raw material area and orient farmers to cultivate agricultural products in an organic direction. The company will transfer to farmers the farming process and provide organic fertilizers and microbiological fertilizers for farmers to take care of their crops.

"The company will organize training for farmers on the technical process of growing organic agricultural products and provide high-quality seedlings for farmers to produce," shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Diem Hang.

In recent times, Binh Dinh province has focused on expanding clean agriculture and organic agriculture models. The province's main agricultural products include rice, chili, peanuts, coconuts, grapefruit, mangoes, etc., of which some items have the potential to develop into concentrated commodity products, aiming for export such as chili, grapefruit, coconut, and mango. In particular, chili and coconut are receiving attention from processing and exporting businesses.

"The functional sector must strengthen strict control over the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in production so that agricultural products meet export standards. At the same time, supervise and guide farmers to comply with safe production processes while eliminating harmful products," said Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee.