Vietnamese orchid production and business will 'take off'

Vietnam’s orchid export turnover at present only reaches USD 10 -15 million/year, which mainly relies on the branch-cut orchid business. Vietnam has to import flower seeds, pesticides and fertilizers with an estimate cost of USD 150–200 million/year in service of the ornamental flower industry.

If paid enough attention for development, Vietnam’s science and technology can reach a level where it is possible for the tissue cultivation industry to create seeds, prepare special-use pesticides or fertilizers for flowers and ornamental plants. Being to reduce importation alone is already considered a big profit for the ornamental flower industry.

The development of orchid farming will lead to the development of many supporting industries, such as iron and steel manufacturing for plant truss production; moss, coconut fiber, fir bark, and charcoal for orchid growing media; special-use pesticide and fertilizer production; plastic and wooden furniture for pot making; wood manufacturing for export.

Vietnam has many potentials and advantages to transform the orchid industry into a high-value ecological economic sector in the field of agriculture and rural development. Vietnam can completely become a major orchid production center in the region and the world. From a country that almost has to completely import Ho Diep orchids, so far Vietnam has self-produced and met over 20% of market demands.

Although there are hundreds of thousands of large and small orchid gardens nationwide, one can desbribe the development of the present orchid industry as "spontaneous, small, and scattered". There is no concentrated production area, the product’s quality is still low. The industry is yet to create lankage in the form of a high value chain. This leads to some limitations: difficulty in applying scientific and technical advances; no highly competitive product released; difficulty in meeting export orders in large quantities. The orchid industry's achivement has little contribution to promoting the process of transforming rural agroproduction into urban agroproduction.

In order to utlize the great potential of orchids, Vietnam needs to establish an official association organization recognized by the state management agency. In orchid-developed countries (Thailand, the Netherlands, China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Australia, etc), orchid associations play a very important role and provide good orientation in the production, business, and export of orchids. Even in America, the orchid association of overseas Vietnamese has been established since 2004.

The role of professional associations in accompanying the business community and agroproduction subjects become more and more vital in the context of international integration, even more so for particular industries like orchid. The professional association not only protects the legitimate interests of its members in terms of science and technology transfer, the development of its own standards, support services for market access, valuation arbitration, but also directly helps members enhance their professionalism and well implement the guidelines and policies of the Party and Government.

In response to practical requirements, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and other relevant ministries, departments, and branches have facilitated the recognition of status of the Campaign Board for the establishment of the Vietnam Orchid Association, proceeding to complete a record to request the Ministry of Home Affairs to allow the establishment of the Vietnam Orchid Production and Business Association (VOPBA) in accordance with the provisions of the law.

As a result, on January 16, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an official decision No. 21 QD/BNV allowing the Campaign Board to establish VOPBA and organize the establishment Congress on April 15, 2023, term I of the 2023-2028 period, at the Government Guest House at 37 Hung Vuong, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.

VOPBA is the mouthpiece, representing the voice of orchid lover communities across the country, with a network throughout many provinces and cities of Vietnam, always a companion to orchid farmers. VOPBA can call for cooperation with the international orchid community, and help state management agencies make appropriate policies to promote the Vietnamese orchid industry's rapid and sustainable development with high economic efficiency, all for the country’s cause of industrialization and modernization. 

Those who are cultivating orchid believe that the Vietnamese orchid industry will “take off” after the VOPBA establishment Congress.