Agricultural officials, farmers and business executives discussed thestate of the cocoa industry and measures needed to further expansion at aseminar held in HCM City on January 15.
Dinh Hai Lam, cocoadevelopment manager at Mars Incorporated, said the development of thecocoa industry had not reached expectations, and that its expansion hadoccurred mostly due to the support of non-government organisations(NGOs) and projects involved in eliminating hunger and reducing poverty.
Inthese projects, disadvantaged households are provided cocoa seedlingsas well as technical assistance to plant trees. However, the householdsare often vulnerable to price fluctuations.
The country's cocoacultivation area increased from 500ha in 2003 to 25,700ha in 2012. Butin 2013, when the price for cocoa beans dropped, farmers chopped downtrees, sharply reducing the cultivation area, he said.
Lowproductivity due to the planting of trees on less fertile soil andapplying improper farming techniques had contributed to the slowprogress of the industry.
A lack of linkages between businessesand farmers in cocoa production was also to blame, according todelegates attending the meeting.
In addition, the Government has not devised a specific policy for cocoa industry development, they said.
Asan export commodity with high economic value, cocoa needs theparticipation of businesses and investors in production via theestablishment of large-scale farming and closer linkages with farmers inthe production chain.
In which, businesses will play a leadingrole in technology transfer, and provide input and ensure outlets forsmall households in the production chain.
Nguyen Vinh Thanh,Director of the cocoa sector at Cargill Vietnam, said most cocoaseedlings did not meet required standards, and more efforts were neededto develop better seedlings.
Phan Huy Thong, head of theVietnamese Cocoa Committee, said demand for cocoa had been increasing inthe world market, while supply from main cocoa-growing countries inwestern Africa and Indonesia had fallen due to aging trees, offeringgreat potential for Vietnam's cocoa industry.
Cocoa cultivation,however, faces competition in the country with other high-intensiveagricultural trees like coffee, pepper and fruit trees, he said.
PhamHong Duc Phuoc of Nong Lam University said to encourage farmers toplant cocoa, cocoa productivity must reach two tonnes per hectare.
Technologytransfer to local farmers is crucial in helping them understand andfollow cultivation steps. Many cocoa gardens enjoy very highproductivity thanks to proper techniques, he said.
As cocoarequires different farming techniques from other trees, farmers need tofully understand these cultivation measures, said Nguyen Duc Tin, afarmer in Ben Tre province. Phan Van Khong, Director of Ben TreProvince's Agricultural Extension Centre, said when planting cocoa treeson one hectare of coconut, farmers can double their income to around100 million VND (4,690 USD) per hectare, at current prices.
With70,000ha under coconut, the province wants to intercrop cocoa in coconutgardens to raise the value of each unit of land, he said.
With abright future for the industry, farmers must make long-term investmentsto avoid the repeated growing and then chopping down of trees,delegates said.
Many farmers at the event suggested that theGovernment develop a policy to support famers with capital so they caninvest in farms.
Cocoa bean prices have been stable at65,000-70,000 VND per kilogramme in the domestic market, encouragingfarmers to invest in intensive farming to raise productivity.
Thecountry has about 17,000 ha under cocoa cultivation, mostly in theMekong Delta, the Central Highlands and southeastern regions. Up to 90percent of cocoa is intercropped with other trees.-VNA
Dinh Hai Lam, cocoadevelopment manager at Mars Incorporated, said the development of thecocoa industry had not reached expectations, and that its expansion hadoccurred mostly due to the support of non-government organisations(NGOs) and projects involved in eliminating hunger and reducing poverty.
Inthese projects, disadvantaged households are provided cocoa seedlingsas well as technical assistance to plant trees. However, the householdsare often vulnerable to price fluctuations.
The country's cocoacultivation area increased from 500ha in 2003 to 25,700ha in 2012. Butin 2013, when the price for cocoa beans dropped, farmers chopped downtrees, sharply reducing the cultivation area, he said.
Lowproductivity due to the planting of trees on less fertile soil andapplying improper farming techniques had contributed to the slowprogress of the industry.
A lack of linkages between businessesand farmers in cocoa production was also to blame, according todelegates attending the meeting.
In addition, the Government has not devised a specific policy for cocoa industry development, they said.
Asan export commodity with high economic value, cocoa needs theparticipation of businesses and investors in production via theestablishment of large-scale farming and closer linkages with farmers inthe production chain.
In which, businesses will play a leadingrole in technology transfer, and provide input and ensure outlets forsmall households in the production chain.
Nguyen Vinh Thanh,Director of the cocoa sector at Cargill Vietnam, said most cocoaseedlings did not meet required standards, and more efforts were neededto develop better seedlings.
Phan Huy Thong, head of theVietnamese Cocoa Committee, said demand for cocoa had been increasing inthe world market, while supply from main cocoa-growing countries inwestern Africa and Indonesia had fallen due to aging trees, offeringgreat potential for Vietnam's cocoa industry.
Cocoa cultivation,however, faces competition in the country with other high-intensiveagricultural trees like coffee, pepper and fruit trees, he said.
PhamHong Duc Phuoc of Nong Lam University said to encourage farmers toplant cocoa, cocoa productivity must reach two tonnes per hectare.
Technologytransfer to local farmers is crucial in helping them understand andfollow cultivation steps. Many cocoa gardens enjoy very highproductivity thanks to proper techniques, he said.
As cocoarequires different farming techniques from other trees, farmers need tofully understand these cultivation measures, said Nguyen Duc Tin, afarmer in Ben Tre province. Phan Van Khong, Director of Ben TreProvince's Agricultural Extension Centre, said when planting cocoa treeson one hectare of coconut, farmers can double their income to around100 million VND (4,690 USD) per hectare, at current prices.
With70,000ha under coconut, the province wants to intercrop cocoa in coconutgardens to raise the value of each unit of land, he said.
With abright future for the industry, farmers must make long-term investmentsto avoid the repeated growing and then chopping down of trees,delegates said.
Many farmers at the event suggested that theGovernment develop a policy to support famers with capital so they caninvest in farms.
Cocoa bean prices have been stable at65,000-70,000 VND per kilogramme in the domestic market, encouragingfarmers to invest in intensive farming to raise productivity.
Thecountry has about 17,000 ha under cocoa cultivation, mostly in theMekong Delta, the Central Highlands and southeastern regions. Up to 90percent of cocoa is intercropped with other trees.-VNA
