On the morning of March 22, Madam Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea, visited the production area of Duc Chinh Agricultural Service Cooperative in Hai Duong province. This region is one of the largest carrot-growing areas in northern Vietnam, often referred to as the “carrot capital” of Hai Duong province.

Accompanying Minister Song Miryung in the field were Mr. Tran Van Quan, Vice Chairman of the Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee, and local farmers from Duc Chinh Agricultural Service Cooperative.

Observing the bustling harvest, Minister Song Miryung expressed her admiration for the modern production scale and high-quality carrots of Hai Duong province. She commended Duc Chinh Cooperative for integrating science and technology into production, enhancing the value of agricultural products, and expanding export markets.

Following the field visit, Minister Song Miryung toured the product storage and processing workshop of Duc Chinh Cooperative.

This workshop was established under a MAFRA-funded project for supporting good agricultural product storage and processing centers in Vietnam  The project is streamlined through Korean Rural Community Corporation (KRC) and implemented by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuat, Director of Duc Chinh Cooperative (outer right), the workshop sponsored by MAFRA has enhanced the brand of Duc Chinh carrot. Duc Chinh community has overcome the challenges of post-harvest systems, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing.

Annually, Hai Duong province cultivates approximately 1,500 hectares of carrots, yielding 80,000–100,000 tons, generating around 800 billion VND. About 40% of this output is exported to Korea. With stable market demand, Duc Chinh farmers no longer face the problem of fluctuating prices. Instead, they have seen a 15–20% increase in income, leading to greater financial security. The storage and processing workshop, equipped with modern technology, has reduced the labor intensity of agricultural work, thereby improving farmers’ social security.

At the headquarters of the People's Committee of Duc Chinh Commune, Minister Song Miryung, along with leaders from various MAFRA departments and offices, engaged in discussions with local authorities to hear their opinions and suggestions.

Mr. Tran Van Quan, Vice Chairman of the Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that Korea remains the most crucial market for the province, playing a decisive role in the success of its carrot production and exports. He expressed his gratitude to MAFRA for helping to resolve key challenges, ensuring the continued export of Vietnamese carrot products to Korea.

For her part, Minister Song Miryung expressed hope that with the existing infrastructure and equipment, Hai Duong would continue to produce high-quality carrot products. She also affirmed that this visit would further strengthen cooperation between Korea and Hai Duong province.

Author: Quynh Chi

Translated by Quynh Chi