Kien Giang (VNS/VNA) - Farmers in Kien Giang province’s Go Quao district are usingenvironmentally-friendly cajuput trees as trellises instead of concrete orwooden pillars to grow pepper plants.

Most ofthe Mekong Delta district’s 250ha of pepper are using cajuput trees,saving costs for farmers.

Nguyen Anh Vu, who has planted pepper with the trees in Go Quao’s Vinh Hoa Hung Bac commune for 14 years, said widespread use of the trees began in 2000.

Manyfarmers are also growing pepper under Vietnamese good agricultural practices(VietGAP) standards and organic standards.

Thedistrict has 20ha of pepper meeting VietGAP standards and 11.8ha of organicpepper meeting US, Japanese and EU standards.

The Phu Quoc Biology Nature Limited Company, Go Quao district agricultural authoritiesand a co-operative team of 12 households in Vinh Hoa Hung Bac and Vinh Hoa Hung Nam began the organic pepper model in 2017.

Vo Duc Huy, director of the company, said the growing of organic pepper had increasedprofits for farmers, and created more hygienic plants which are exported to theUS and Germany.

Farmerswho grow organic pepper are guaranteed a price of 30,000 VND (1.3 USD) a kilohigher than the market price, he said.

Organicpepper sells for 80,000 VND (3.4 USD) a kilo.

Phan Van Khang, who grows 2ha of organic pepper in Vinh Hoa Hung Nam commune, said:“Organic pepper develops well and is less susceptible to diseases comparedto traditionally planted pepper.”

Thecompany has taught households how to grow organic pepper, and use organicfertiliser and bio-products.

Heharvested more than 6 tonnes of pepper in the harvest season and earned aprofit of 520 million VND (22,200 USD).

Plantingorganic pepper has many benefits, including improving the fertility of soil andincreasing the number of good microorganisms in the soil, according to farmers.

Duong Duy Duyet, deputy head of the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau,said: “Based on this success, the district will continue to cooperate with thecompany to expand organic pepper growing area.”

Thedistrict would also continue to offer advanced farming techniques forfarmers to grow organic pepper, he said.    

Thisyear, the district increased the organic pepper growing area by 10ha and plansto have 100ha of organic pepper in the future.

Pepper isa priority product for development in the province.-VNS/VNA