The Mekong Delta is the largest producer of Vietnamese fruit for export. Its durian, mangos, longans, dragon fruit, and star apples have become popular with foreign consumers.

Nguyen Hoang Anh of Thoi Hung commune, Co Do district, Can Tho city, said his family grows five hectares of longans for export to the US, Australia, and several other countries under the VietGap standard, which strictly limits the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

According to Hoang Anh, to get export orders, producers must cooperate in setting up stable raw material areas with a growing area code to satisfy origin traceability requirements. “We know we must strictly follow export standards. Each market has different standards. To export to the European market, for example, we must follow VietGap regulations,” said Hoang Anh.

Co Do district has 330 hectares of longans. The longans have been granted 36 growing area codes for exporting to the US, Australia, Japan, Thailand, the EU, China, and South Korea. Tran Phuoc Son, head of a Trang Ti Garden fruit production team, said the cooperative is working with businesses to stabilize output and meet the businesses’ requirements.

“Most of our team members are farmers, and half of them have a university or post-graduate degree,” Son told VOV, adding, “Quality of farm produce matters. If our quality is good, businesses will want our products. What we must focus on is our branding. To make our products competitive, production must ensure product safety.”

According to Can Tho’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province has been granted 193 growing areas codes for mangos, star apples, longans, rice, and durians. The Can Tho administration has been helping farmers acquire growing area codes to meet export requirements and comply with regulations. The farmers have been encouraged to develop concentrated production, improve links to businesses,  and set up shared raw material areas.

Tran Thai Nghiem, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the city's fruit output is 200,000 tons per year. “In recent years, Can Tho has paid attention cooperation in producing and marketing fruits. Businesses have shown a stronger interest in our durians, star apples, and longans since we acquired growing area codes. They want to build raw material areas to satisfy export market demands,” Nghiem noted.

According to the Crop Production Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mekong Delta region already contributes most of Vietnam’s fruit exports, but its fruit production can still grow if farmers, cooperatives, and businesses link up and expand raw material areas for export.

Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Crop Production Department, said that teaming up has increased in recent years. “Farmer cooperatives that work with businesses have become popular in the South. A number of cooperatives export fruits directly. Teaming up to ensure food safety and quality benefits both the domestic and export market,” said Tung.

Vietnam has 1.2 million hectares of fruit, and earned 5.6 billion USD from agricultural exports last year. Acquiring growing area codes, expanding links, and developing concentrated fruit growing areas is helping farmers in the Mekong Delta and across Vietnam achieve sustainable export growth.