Farmers provide 20,000 tons of potatoes/year for snack production

On January 25, Orion Vina held a ceremony to sign a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with the Institute of Agricultural Biology (IAB) under the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture.

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Pham Van Cuong - Deputy Director of Vietnam National University of Agriculture; Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - Director of the Institute of Agricultural Biology; Mr. Park Se Yeol - General Director of Orion Vietnam; Mr. Yang Jin Han - Deputy General Director of Production; Mr. Jeong Jong Yeon - Deputy General Director of Marketing; Mr. Jung Mun Kyo - Director of Agriculture; Mr. Park Sun Ho - Deputy General Director of Sales; Ms. Vu Thi Thuy Huong - Executive Director of Yen Phong factory, and other representatives.

Orion Vina signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with the Institute of Agricultural Biology (IAB) under the Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture. Photo: PV

At the event, Mr. Park Se Yeol expressed his joy for this comprehensive strategic cooperation between Orion and IAB. Since the first cooperation in 2007, both sides have researched and produced quality potato varieties together.

Fresh potatoes are the main ingredient used by Orion in its O'Star and Swing snack products. Thanks to its strategy of developing quality local ingredients, Orion has conquered the market and become the number 1 potato snack manufacturer in Vietnam.

Sharing about the cooperation and investment orientation, Mr. Jung Mun Kyo - Director of ORION Vietnam Agriculture said: “The cooperation between Orion and INAB is a model representing the cooperation between enterprises and scientific research facilities. During 18 years of cooperation, we have worked with INAB to develop quality varieties. In addition, the Institute has also supported Orion a lot in connecting with cooperatives and developing more than 900 hectares of potato cultivation in Northern Vietnam, providing technical advice on cultivation and many other supports. INAB is the leading potato research institute in Vietnam, and will continue to develop further in the future.

Through this signing event, we hope to once again demonstrate our goodwill, sincerity, and strong commitment to the homeland potato project, increasing the production of quality potatoes in Vietnam and contributing to increasing farmers' income."

The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement with Orion marks a new turning point after 18 years of cooperation between the two to support farmers in growing potatoes for snack production. This is also a rare and unprecedented cooperation between a large foreign corporation and the Institute of Agricultural Biology.

We cooperate with each other through very thorough understanding. Orion goes through a long process of understanding and evaluating the human and technological capabilities of its partners before starting to cooperate.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - Director of the Institute of Agricultural Biology

According to the Director of the Institute of Agricultural Biology: When cooperating with Orion, the Institute not only has the opportunity to develop and research many new varieties suitable for the soil quality of each region, but also helps farmers grow potatoes with high productivity. Farmers are not only guaranteed output but also supported with seeds, machinery, and equipment during and after harvest. In particular, potatoes are a short-term crop so they need a stable output and when Orion guarantees their products, farmers have avoided the situation of "good harvest, low price".

The collaboration between Orion and INAB has led to the creation of the Bliss potato variety, which is now widely grown in local areas. In the coming time, the Institute, together with Orion Agro, will step up research to create good potato varieties for farmers not only in the North but also in the Central Highlands and highlands.

“Currently, each hectare of potatoes that farmers cultivate to supply Orion earns a profit of 70-100 million VND per hectare (depending on the region). This level is 1-3 times higher than rice cultivation and some other crops. This also shows that this cooperation opens up a stable and sustainable agricultural production. In particular, potato cultivation brings very high efficiency to the following crops. Typically, after planting potatoes in the winter-spring crop, farmers do not have to use additional fertilizers after cultivating rice in the following crop, but the plants still grow well, have few pests and diseases, and have high yields.

In this new cooperation agreement, the Institute and the enterprise continue to accompany farmers to expand the stable raw material area. The Institute hopes that Orion will buy potatoes from farmers at a better price. At the same time, the enterprise has policies to support farmers in terms of machinery, equipment, mechanization, canals, and irrigation systems for more modern farming.

This comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement is valid for 10 years with the aim of further integration in the performance of tasks related to the production, development, supply and quality control of seed potatoes and fresh potatoes through business cooperation between the two organizations.

The comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement is effective for 10 years. Photo: PV

Up to now, Orion has connected and cooperated with more than 10,000 farmers in 14 provinces in the Red River Delta, North Central Coast and Northern mountainous provinces (including: Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hanoi , Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh) and 3 provinces in the Southern region including Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong in many forms to supply about 20,000 tons of potatoes per year for snack production.

In parallel with the orientation of developing local potato resources, in 2016, Orion implemented a support fund called "hometown potatoes" to help farmers improve productivity and increase income. Over the past 8 years, about 1.3 billion KRW (equivalent to 25.3 billion VND) has been donated by Orion to the Institute of Agricultural Biology and farmers, through equipping agricultural machinery, seed research funds and scholarships for students...

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nong-dan-cung-cap-20000-tan-khoai-taynam-phuc-vu-san-xuat-banh-snack-post283991.html