Ninh Thuan (VNS/VNA)- The south-central province of Ninh Thuan, the country’s largest grapeproducer, is targeting sustainable grape productionafter conducting research on new grape varieties,applying advanced farming techniques and investing inpost-harvest processing.

Lam Quang Thuu, Deputy Directorof the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,said that farmers were working with companies to increaseprofits by producing grapes under value chains.

The south-central province,which has the least rainfall in the country, has more than 1,200ha of grapegrowing areas with an annual total output of 30,000 tonnes, with the redcardinal and the NH01-48 the two major grape varieties. 

The province’s grape farmingarea accounts for less than 4 percent of its farming area, but therevenue contributes 15-20 percent of its total crop revenue,according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The province’s grapeshave been granted geographical indication certification by the NationalOffice of Intellectual Property.

Despite this, the province’sgrapes are less competitive compared to imported grapes in terms of quality andappearance. Most processed grape products are produced by individual households.

Pham Chau Hoanh, Chairman ofthe province’s Jujube and Grape Association, said that linkagesbetween stakeholders for grape production under Vietnamese goodagricultural practices (VietGAP) standards were still modest.   

The province has about 50ha ofVietGAP grape cultivation, he said, adding that most grapes are sold freshto wholesale markets.

Nguyen Duong, who has growngrapes for 20 years in Ninh Hai district, said grape farmers werefacing high prices for input materials, and unstable grape prices andoutlets.

Climate change hasaffected grape cultivation, while many old grape varieties havedeclined in yield and quality, he said.

In recent years, the provincehas created several new seedless grape varieties like NH04-61, NH04-128,and NH01-152, and grows them on a pilot basis.

The NH01-152 variety, forinstance, has an average yield of 15-18 tonnes per hectare a crop and twoharvest crops a year.

The NH01-152 type can be grownin many types of soil, is highly disease-resistant, and has large andjuicy fruits.

Nguyen Van Loi in Ninh Hai district’sVinh Hai commune switched from growing an old grape variety to NH01-152 threeyears ago.

He grows the fruit underVietGAP standards and uses efficient irrigation facilities to savewater. “After I switched to NH01-152 grape, I discoveredthat its quality is high and selling price stable.”

Traders buy NH01-152 at a priceof 100,000 VND (4.3 USD) per kg.

Nguyen Khac Phong, Director ofthe Thai An General Service and Agriculture Cooperative in Vinh Hai, said theprice of NH01-152 is two to seven times higher than the province’s two maingrapes, the red cardinal and NH01-48. NH01-152 provides high value forfarmers.

The provincial People’sCommittee has instructed the department and relevant agencies to cultivate NH01-152to VietGAP standards via the province’s support programmes for ecotourismdevelopment and for growing grapes.

The province has about10ha of NH01-152 and plans to expand the area to 20ha in 2020.

To improve grape value, theprovince is calling for more investment in grape products like wine,dried grapes, syrup and jam.

The province has alsohelped grape growers and processors introduce their products to moderndistribution channels and participate in agricultural tourism programmes.

Many grape farmers havebeen offering tourism services at their grape orchards to improveincome.

In 2020, the provinceaims to increase its grape area to 1,350ha with an annual output of 32,000tonnes./.