Quang Ninh cinnamon exported to Europe

In recent years, cinnamon has become one of Vietnam’s export items, possessing more economic value than other forestry crops. Cinnamon is a medicinal plant, also the key plant for forestry of many localities with suitable conditions such as Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai ...

In Quang Ninh, according to the professional agency, although this is an indigenous plant, grown since far back, cinnamon production has not yet developed commensurate with its potentials and advantages.

Furthermore, cinnamon consumption is still mainly in the form of preliminary processing of raw cinnamon products, cinnamon is sold through intermediaries, so the product value is low, not many enterprises processing into finished products for export or forming an investment chain link in production, processing and consumption so as to increase the value of cinnamon in the province.

To develop potentials from cinnamon, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province has directed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue a document on developing organic cinnamon material areas. In particular, the Agricultural Extension Center is assigned to cooperate with Son Ha Spices and Flavoring Co. Ltd to work, survey, train, record, take samples in localities with concentrated cinnamon growing areas such as Dam Ha, Tien Yen, Binh Lieu.

In March 2021, several cinnamon growing areas in Quang Ninh were certified by Control Union Certifications (an independent global organization for the management and supervision of merchandises) to meet European standards (EU).

According to the statistics of the Agricultural Extension Center of Quang Ninh Province: As of March 2021, 329 ha of cinnamon from 79 households in Dam Ha and Tien Yen districts has been certified organic according to European standards. Cinnamon products are purchased and exported by Son Ha Spices and Flavoring Co., Ltd to the European market right in the cinnamon crop in April 2021.

As stated by the representatives of Son Ha Spices and Flavoring Co. Ltd, the quality of cinnamon in Quang Ninh meets the demand for export to the European market, because the Couramin active index ranges from 595-893 ppm, meeting the European standard, which is lower than 3,500 ppm (this index from other varieties of cinnamon in the North such as in Lao Cai province, Yen Bai province ranges from 3,630-7,903 ppm).

Mr. Hoang Giang, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dam Ha district shared that as the province with the largest annual output of dried cinnamon in the province, about 650-700 tons/year, 1,000 tons/year at peak, Ham An district is currently constructing the Organic Cinnamon project with the aim to build a raw material area meeting American and European organic standards, meeting about 200 tons of dried organic cinnamon by 2021 and maintaining an expansion of 400-600 tons of dried cinnamon in the following years.

In the upcoming time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ninh province will organize training courses on science and technology for cinnamon growing farmers. Through the training classes, farmers will have the chance to exchange and grasp about techniques of planting, tending and harvesting cinnamon sustainably, capable of applying to the family's cinnamon production to improve productivity and quality of cinnamon products, meeting the requirements of purchasing and exporting.

As claimed by Mrs. Hoang Thi The, Deputy Director of the  Agriculture Promotion Center of Quang Ninh Province, it is expected that Quang Ninh will build an additional concentrated cinnamon growing area of 150-200 hectares in the districts of Dam Ha, Tien Yen and Ba Che to serve export demand.

"Each link is important, so it requires the participation of the management system, scientists, businesses, and especially producers. Therefore, localities have actively developed plans in response to meet the requirements of cinnamon exportation ”, added Ms. The.