Doveco Son La's processing capacity is 52,000 tons/year

An ambitious dream

This May, Doveco is commemorating the launch of its new Fruit and Vegetable Processing Center in Son La province in addition to the birthday of President Ho Chi Minh and the victory at Dien Bien Phu.

Despite the stressful preparation for the launching ceremony, Mr. Dinh Cao Khue, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Doveco constantly encouraged his employees to reach the finish line.

Mr. Khue bonded with this land after spending five years in the Na San plateau. When the factory enter operation, 320 local workers, 50 businesses, cooperatives, and cooperative groups specializing in seeds, materials, fertilizers and 500,000 tons of agricultural products will enjoy its benefits.

The Northwestern region of Vietnam, particularly Son La province, has great potential for the production of vegetables and fruits. Thanks to the substantial difference in temperature between day and night, the quality of the local agricultural goods differs greatly from that of other regions. Mr. Khue claims that he began to pursue his aspirations of processing agricultural products in Son La nearly ten years ago after being impressed by the rich flavor and freshness of the local mango and longan.

"All of my overseas partners praised the agricultural products from Son La province", said Mr. Khue. His ambitions grew over the years until eventually, Son La Provincial People's Committee approved his project implementation site in Mai Son district - the capital of fruit trees. The district features convenient transportation routes to raw material areas such as pineapple, passion fruit, sweet corn, spinach, soybean.

Doveco initially planned to deploy 3 lines including: a concentrated juice and puree processing line with Italian technology and equipment that can process up to 20,000 tons of products per year; a frozen fruit and vegetable processing line with Japanese technology and equipment that can process up to 10,000 tons of products per year; a canned fruit and vegetable processing line with Italian and German technology and equipment that can process up to 20,000 tons of products per year.

So far, the company has installed an iron canning line with a capacity of 300 cans per minute and a cold-drying line with a capacity of 120 tons per day to meet the needs of Son La province.

Doveco Son La Fruit and Vegetable Processing Center in Hat Lot commune, Mai Son district started construction on September 29, 2020. During the construction process, the processing center welcomed Party and State leaders of the Central and local governments, including a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in May 2022.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the importance of science and technology application in agricultural processing to improve productivity, labor quality as well as investment value.

"Agricultural products from Northen Vietnam, including Son La, are currently in season with a sizeable output. In order to promote the export of agricultural products, we need to diversify the supply chain as well as the market. It is necessary to improve the value of agricultural products by increasing technology application in the processing and post-harvest stages", remarked the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that Doveco Son La Fruit and Vegetable Processing Center has pioneered in bringing agricultural product processing plants to large raw material areas.

A company with a remarkable development history

Doveco began its journey in the 1970s when the company converted its production crop from coffee to pineapple on the original Dong Giao State Farm. Subsequently, the company constructed the first IQF cold storage in 1978. Many generations of Doveco workers have enriched the local fertile red soil with vegetables and fruits.

In 2019, Doveco inaugurated a processing center with an annual capacity of 52,000 tons in Gia Lai province. This was the first agricultural product processing facility to be constructed in the area. Consequently, it ushered in a period of high-tech agriculture in combination with agricultural processing. 43 processing factories have followed in Doveco's footsteps and relocated to Gia Lai, advancing rural industrialization and enhancing the quality of life for the local community.

Doveco's presence has profoundly altered the landscape where they established business, as exemplified by their resounding success in Ninh Binh, Gia Lai, and Son La. In addition to employment opportunities, Doveco has contributed greatly to shaping the agricultural economy, promoting the service industry, and directing farmers' practices towards industrial-scale output.

In order to ensure the sustainable production of raw materials, the company also offered farmers incentives to participate in the supply chain such as discounted prices on seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. The company will dispatch personnel to assist farmers in monitoring and supervising their crops as well as guide the production process with appropriate techniques, assuring food safety and hygiene.

On behalf of Doveco Company, Mr. Dinh Cao Khue pledged: “Wherever we are, whether it is Ninh Binh, Gia Lai or Son La, we will purchase all qualified products manufactured with the company's seed at the contracted price. If the market price is higher then we will buy at the market price.

With its location in Mai Son district, Doveco Son La Fruit and Vegetable Processing Center has many advantages in transportation and raw material areas. Agricultural products from Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces can be conveniently gathered, processed, and delivered to consumers.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Dong, Secretary of the Son La Provincial Party Committee, believes that the project would help Son La become a hub for vegetable and fruit production, processing in Northwestern Vietnam.

According to Mr. Dong, Son La has great potential to grow a variety of fruit trees such as passion fruit, pineapple, mango, longan, etc. Furthermore, the province is committed to supporting companies that invest in agricultural processing here.