Vinh Long upgrades sweet potato value chain towards organic direction

Vinh Long province aims to develop 1,500 hectares of organic farming areas including sweet potatoes - a key product but currently has unstable output.

Vinh Long province aims to develop 1,500 hectares of organic farming areas including sweet potatoes - a key product but currently has unstable output.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam (far right) introduces Wago Group to Vinh Long province to seek investment opportunities. Photo: Ho Thao.

Potential cooperation with Japanese corporations

In order to introduce Wago Group to the locality and seek investment opportunities in the agricultural sector, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam - Head of the working delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Japanese Wago Group recently had a working session in Vinh Long province.

According to Deputy Minister Nam, Vinh Long has a strategic location in the center of the Mekong Delta and has strengths in agricultural production, including the fields of cultivation, livestock and aquaculture. The province's agricultural products are very diverse and have regional characteristics.

Wago is one of the largest corporations in Japan, specializing in retail systems, agricultural processing and high-tech agricultural production. Wago plans to expand investment in post-harvest technology and link up with agricultural production areas in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam hopes to open up cooperation opportunities between Wago and Vinh Long, especially in applying modern technology and processes to improve production efficiency, especially with sweet potatoes - one of the local key crops.

Sweet potatoes are a traditional crop in Binh Tan district (Vinh Long), and local people have a lot of experience in cultivation, helping to improve productivity and product quality. According to the agricultural restructuring project for the period 2017 - 2020 and vision to 2030, sweet potatoes have been identified as one of the three key crops of the province.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam (left) surveys the agricultural raw material area in Binh Tan district, Vinh Long province. Photo: Ho Thao .

However, Vinh Long's sweet potato production still faces difficulties, with the current area of ​​this main crop being 731 hectares, down 30.8% compared to the same period in 2023. Due to the impact of the previous Covid-19 pandemic and the unstable export market, farmers have converted some sweet potato areas to fruit trees.

At the same time, the management of sweet potato growing area codes is not strict, the selling price of sweet potatoes between the area with a code and the area outside is not different, so it has not stimulated farmers to expand the area.

"We always welcome international partners to invest in deep processing factories located locally to create stable output for the province's main sweet potato growing areas," said Chairman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Lu Quang Ngoi.

After visiting the sweet potato growing area in Binh Tan district, Mr. Kiuchi Hirokazu - Chairman of Wago Group said that the goal of this business trip of Wago to Vinh Long province is to survey the potential for cooperation in agricultural projects of the province, especially in applying modern technology and processes to improve the efficiency of agricultural production.

He assessed that the Group has a lot of potential to cooperate with Vinh Long province, especially interested in the province's agricultural production models such as the sweet potato growing model in Binh Tan district.

Sweet potato acreage in Vinh Long has recently decreased due to erratic output. Photo: NNVN.

"Currently, post-harvest sweet potato preservation in Vinh Long is difficult, forcing farmers to sell at low prices. To overcome this, we have a freezing factory using modern technology, freezing from the inside out. Unlike Chinese technology, when thawed, the potatoes do not break. We can also bake the potatoes, package them and freeze them for export to North America and Europe. The product has an ice cream-like flavor, but must ensure the sweetness according to standards, combined with appropriate farming techniques. In addition, sweet potatoes can also be ground into flour to make cakes," said Mr. Kiuchi Hirokazu.

The Chairman of Wago Group proposed to provide Vinh Long with some sweet potato varieties that are sweeter than local varieties for experimental planting. If these varieties are successfully planted and meet the conditions, the Group will purchase, process and export them.

Mr. Kiuchi also suggested to Vinh Long province solutions for using agricultural by-products in Japan. For example, rice bran is not only used as animal feed but can also be fermented to support sweet potato cultivation. Rice husks can be burned to generate electricity and then create silica used in tire production and some other fields. This is a technology, a potential safe solution.

Vinh Long is shifting sweet potato production towards organic direction to increase value and build a stable production chain. Photo: NNVN.

Target 1,500 hectares of organic crops

Chairman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Lu Quang Ngoi, said that Wago Group will bring many opportunities to help Vinh Long improve the quality of agricultural products and increase competitiveness in the international market. Mr. Ngoi proposed that Wago Group support human resource training and research on the construction of a sweet potato processing factory in Vinh Long.

He also hopes to work with the Group to apply advanced technologies such as automation, sensors and smart management systems to the province's agricultural production model.

To meet the conditions for exporting agricultural products, according to Mr. Ngoi, Vinh Long is orienting agricultural development towards applying high technology, circular and organic production to increase the value of local agricultural products.

Specifically, according to the Organic Agriculture Development Project by 2030, the province aims to form an organic crop production area of ​​1,500 hectares, organic aquaculture of 50 hectares and production of 1,500 tons of organic livestock products.

The province aims to have organic cropland account for 1-2% of the total cultivated area and organic livestock products account for 2% of total output by 2030. Organic aquaculture area accounts for 0.5-1.5%.

Currently, Vinh Long's main sweet potato export market depends on China. Photo: Ho Thao.

"We expect the product value per hectare of organic farming and aquaculture land to be 1.3 - 1.5 times, or even 1.5 - 1.8 times higher than conventional production. Vinh Long will plan and convert key production areas, including crops, livestock, and aquaculture, to organic production models, including sweet potatoes.

The province will also expand organic certified areas, build brands and geographical indications for local agricultural products to increase competitiveness both domestically and internationally," said Chairman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee Lu Quang Ngoi.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam highly appreciated the role of international enterprises such as Wago Group in promoting the development of Vietnamese agriculture, especially in applying technology and enhancing international cooperation. He agreed with Wago's proposal to provide new plant varieties to the locality and hoped that the Group would support the development of technical processes to ensure the quality of Vinh Long's sweet potato raw material areas.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/vinh-long-nang-cap-chuoi-gia-tri-khoai-lang-theo-huong-huu-co-d405974.html