Building the largest cocoa growing area in Dong Nai
Cocoa growing and processing by Trong Duc Cocoa Company Limited (Phu Hoa commune, Dinh Quan district) is one of the outstanding agricultural production models in Dong Nai. This is the first cocoa company in Vietnam to have a raw material area and a deep processing factory.
Dinh Quan Cocoa and Cashew Cooperative grows cocoa according to UTZ standards for export to Japan. In the photo: Cocoa garden grown according to UTZ standards of cooperative members. Photo:B.Nguyen
This enterprise has invested in a large field project for cocoa trees, creating a concentrated raw material area, forming a chain of links from production to processing and consumption according to a closed process.
* Building specialized cocoa growing areas
In addition to exporting raw cocoa beans, Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. also promotes processing and produces cocoa products such as chocolate, cocoa powder... exporting well to demanding markets. like Japan and Korea. Pure cocoa powder of this enterprise was selected in the list of the first 12 products of Dong Nai to be developed under the OCOP program (One Commune One Product) until 2020.
Dinh Quan district has over 11 thousand hectares of cashew trees, many of which are old so the profits are very low. In 2015, the large cocoa field project linking production and consumption invested by Trong Duc Cocoa Company Limited attracted many farmer households to participate in growing cocoa trees in old cashew orchards. increased income for farmers.
The entire Dinh Quan district currently has over 130 hectares of cocoa intercropped under cashew and mango trees, concentrated in the communes of Gia Canh, Ngoc Dinh, Phu Hoa, Suoi Nho... Before there were businesses investing in field projects. large for cocoa trees, cocoa farmers in Dinh Quan once simultaneously cut down this crop due to disease effects and low prices. But now, farmers can feel secure in developing this crop area thanks to the products being purchased by businesses at good prices. Dinh Quan district is the locality with the largest cocoa area in Dong Nai province.
Mr. Nguyen Quy Tuan (living in Gia Canh commune) once considered cutting down 2 hectares of his family's cocoa trees to switch to growing other crops because the output of this crop was quite unstable. But when a business invests in a large cocoa field project in the district with many practical support programs for farmers such as: 30% support for the cost of buying seedlings and installing automatic watering systems. dynamic; Instructions on planting and care techniques, especially disease treatment on cocoa trees...
Mr. Tuan not only stuck with him but also mobilized many other farmers to keep and develop more cocoa areas. This is also the premise for Dinh Quan Cocoa and Cashew Cooperative to be established. Mr. Nguyen Quy Tuan (currently Director of Dinh Quan Cocoa - Cashew Cooperative) compared, when first established, the cooperative had only more than 10 hectares of cocoa intercropped with cashew, but now it has increased to nearly 100 hectares and is growing steadily. Achieved UTZ certification (certification to ensure sustainable production according to international standards).
Farmers are very actively participating in the project because the products are purchased by businesses at prices higher than the average market price. "Farmers believe that participating in the program will receive many support policies, especially training and guidance at the garden level on plant care and disease prevention techniques. Thanks to that, the productivity of the cocoa garden next year is higher than the previous year, and profits also increase" - Mr. Tuan said.
Also a farmer who has been attached to cocoa trees since the early days of forming the large cocoa field project, Mr. Pham Van Cuong in Ngoc Dinh commune said that the enterprise has a team of technical staff who come to the garden to give guidance. Farmers apply integrated pest control techniques on cocoa trees in a safe way. Thanks to the application of integrated pest control measures from garden cleaning, pruning branches, creating canopy, care, fertilizing, and using the right medicine to prevent pests, cocoa trees have helped grow and develop. grow well, the tree flowers and bears a lot of fruit.
* Promote processing and export
Mr. Dang Tuong Khanh, Director of Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. shared that in the past, hundreds of hectares of cocoa in Dong Nai were wiped out due to unstable output, but now they have become a high-income crop thanks to business. Industry and farmers joined hands to build large fields. In particular, cooperatives play a very important role in forming sustainable chain links because production enterprises cannot work with individual farmers but need to go through cooperatives to gather farmers. .
Also according to Mr. Khanh, currently the large cocoa field project invested by the enterprise in Dong Nai has developed 468 hectares. The enterprise will continue to expand this area because the current cocoa supply only partially meets the enterprise's processing development needs. “To date, Trong Duc has invested millions of dollars in the processing factory as well as the raw material area. This is only the first stage, businesses are continuing to invest capital in production as well as expanding distribution channels in both domestic and international markets" - Mr. Khanh affirmed.
Currently, in addition to exporting raw cocoa beans, Trong Duc has dozens of deeply processed products such as chocolate, cocoa wine, cocoa powder... which are well consumed in the domestic market and exported well to difficult markets. Such as: Japan, Korea... In the domestic market, Trong Duc has 4 typical products voted by consumers as High Quality Vietnamese Goods.
In 2015, Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. and Ken Cocoa Co., Ltd, traditional confectionery manufacturing and trading enterprises in Japan, cooperated with the goal of promoting and exporting chocolate and products from Dong Nai's cocoa goes to the world market. The outstanding advantage of the chocolate product line that these two businesses are introducing is a high-end product line, handmade from cocoa beans, which brings a different flavor compared to traditional chocolate, and is a popular trend among consumers. favored by world consumers.
Thao Suong