Direction of Tan Duc Mango Cooperative

Tan Duc Commune, Ham Tan District is one of the localities with a large mango growing area in the province, concentrated in Suoi Gieng village with more than 80 hectares, mainly growing Taiwanese mango varieties.

To build a brand and increase export opportunities for this fruit, the locality has established the Tan Duc Mango Cooperative with over 23 hectares. In February 2023, this Cooperative was granted a growing area code for export to the markets of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Currently, the Tan Duc Mango Cooperative is making efforts to attach OCOP stars to local mangoes.

The mango garden we visited this time was produced organically by Mr. Huynh Van Hen (born in 1988, Suoi Gieng village, Tan Duc commune, Ham Tan district). Mr. Hen used to work in the pharmaceutical industry, but in 2014 he started growing mangoes on an area of 3.5 hectares and was one of the first people in the locality to produce organically. Mr. Hen said that pioneers always face risks, but those risks will create many opportunities for those who dare to think and dare to do.

That is why Mr. Hen and like-minded people met and, with the support of the local government, they established the Tan Duc Mango Cooperative, cultivating an area of 23 hectares. Because he is young and knowledgeable, Mr. Hen was trusted to be the Head of the Cooperative. This is also the first mango cooperative in the province to be granted a code for mango growing areas for export to the markets of Korea, Australia and New Zealand in the first quarter of 2023.

“Our cooperative has 10 members, who are Taiwanese mango growers in Suoi Gieng village. They are farmers from the West who have settled here and have a lot of experience in handling fruit trees for off-season harvest. Most Taiwanese mango growers here pay less attention to the main harvest and focus on the off-season, but spread out the crops to avoid product collisions and traders forcing down prices. We focus on improving our skills to maintain and improve product quality. In particular, to take a step forward in the journey of bringing mangoes far and wide, we decided to find our own direction by participating in COCOP products,” Mr. Hen shared.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luy, a member of the Cooperative, said that in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, Taiwanese mango growers in Suoi Gieng village achieved a yield of 12 - 15 tons/ha, the off-season selling price fluctuated from 15,000 - 30,000 VND/kg, especially around Christmas when it reached 45,000 VND/kg, selling to traders for export to the Chinese market, farmers earned a profit of more than 100 million VND per year. Recently, some mango importing countries have required a growing area code to trace the origin of transparent information. The Tan Duc Mango Cooperative has pioneered in connecting large-scale mango growers with a passion for clean agricultural products to create the Tan Duc mango brand and register to participate in the OCOP product review in 2023.

Granted stamps and codes for growing areas for export to Korea, Australia and New Zealand in February 2023, but because members of the Tan Duc Mango Cooperative cultivate in the off-season, harvesting before, during and after the New Year and Lunar New Year, there are no products to export abroad. Therefore, representatives of the Tan Duc Mango Cooperative and local authorities are trying to find cooperation opportunities with partners who are domestic mango purchasing and exporting enterprises with the expectation of raising the position of Tan Duc mango, while at the same time, increasing income for farmers who are dedicated to growing clean, quality mangoes locally. "Opportunities are coming, and we need to know how to take advantage of them to exploit the advantages in the market and thereby contribute to enhancing the value and image of agriculture in our province," Mr. Hen added.

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