Preparing for Ben Tre green-skinned pomelo export to the US

Ben Tre province has 5 area codes for producing green-skinned pomelos for export to the EU market, with an area of ​​69.2 hectares

The Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has just had a meeting with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ben Tre province, businesses, and cooperatives on regulations on developing area codes for green-skinned pomelos.

The Department's delegation visited and learned about the technique of cultivating green-skinned pomelos in the toward of VietGAP at two households in Chau Thanh district: Mr. Luong Trong Nghia, Thuan Phuoc hamlet, Tam Phuoc commune (with an area of 3,800m2), and Mrs. Tran Thi Mung, Thuan Dien hamlet, An Hiep commune (with an area of 8,000m2).

The delegation and people discussed and shared with farmers about the export plan to the US market, the requirements, and how to do it.

Regarding pest management, most fruit borers are common in pomelo varieties. In addition, insects that attack grapefruit during growth also affect product quality.

"To get rid of the fruit borers, I sprayed white lime all over the pomelo garden. After harvesting, it takes a lot of time to clean the garden. However, unlike many pesticides, lime does not affect health during spraying. In addition, everything I do during the process of fertilizing, I record following VietGAP regulations, from manure, spray or weeding", said Mr. Nghia.

Currently, Ben Tre province has 5 area codes for producing green-skinned pomelos for export to the EU market, with an area of ​​69.2 hectares. In 2021, the Plant Protection Department accepted maintaining two planting area codes with  ​​​​30.59 hectares of Huong Mien Tay Agricultural Products Company Limited and Green Powers Company Branch.

At the end of the first quarter of 2022, the Sub-department completed three documents to maintain area codes for green-skinned pomelos, rambutan, and mango with an area of ​​over 50 hectares of Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Co., Ltd. to export to the EU, United States, Australia, New Zealand.

Ben Tre province has a total of 21 packing facilities, of which 17 are exporting to the Chinese market for fruits: longan, rambutan, mango, mangosteen...; 4 packing facilities export to EU, USA, Australia, New Zealand markets for longan, mango, green-skinned pomelos; maintaining the packing code for Chanh Thu Company with mango and green-skinned pomelo products to the US and EU markets.

Director of the Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-Department of Ben Tre province, Mr. Vo Van Nam commented: "The production direction is product traceability and the planting area simpler than VietGAP standards. The Sub-Department always tries to implement the training for farmers on pomelo farming techniques, fully meeting the requirements of the US market.

"We will continue to research the consumer market, take point models to propagate or provide information to the people. In addition, we will coordinate with businesses to build and maintain the operation of planting area codes, packing facilities and actively implement more efficiently," added Mr. Nam.

The delegation also visited the product packaging process at Huong Mien Tay Agricultural Products Company Limited (Phuoc My Trung Commune, Mo Cay Bac District) and Chanh Thu Fruit Import Export Co., Ltd (Area 4, Cho Lach town, Cho Lach district).

Representatives of companies exchanged preliminary information about starting a business and sticking with green-skinned pomelos, stating the difficulties in exporting to the US market with high technical requirements.

"The US is a market that consumes grapefruit all year round. We need a commitment to a clear fixed price from the very beginning," the representative of Huong Mien Tay Company stated.

Enterprises confirmed that they would pilot, prepare full documents, and pioneer when the US market accepts and purchases pomelos meeting the prescribed quality.

To do well in exporting to the US requires farmers and businesses to connect with the whole political system, thereby building a sustainable Ben Tre green-skinned pomelo brand in the international market.

Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department Nguyen Thi Thu Huong said: Although the US market requires high farming techniques, Vietnam can meet. It will be a promising export direction for Ben Tre green-skinned pomelos. To aim for sustainable export to this high-end market, it is still necessary to rely on specific regulatory criteria to avoid the abuse of chemical drugs.

Also, it needs to develop standards for green-skinned pomelos to help businesses, cooperatives, or companies convenient in production and trading.