Beef project raises farmers' incomes

HA NOI — A project to promote sustainable beef production by the Mong people in remote parts of the northern province of Cao Bang was reported to have achieved positive initial results, according to a workshop held in Ha Noi on Thursday.

The project, which started in early 2011, drew the participation of over 500 farmers and spread across nine communes in Cao Bang.

With a total budget of over US$261,000, the project was implemented by the Le Thanh Construction Company in partnership with the Centre for Agrarian Systems Research and Development with support from the Viet Nam Challenge Fund.

It entailed engaging poor ethnic families in cattle-breeding interest groups, applying a basic traceability system for the beef, and building a professional slaughterhouse which included a waste water treatment system and a biogas production area.

As of April this year, the project had purchased over 300 cows and produced more than 21,000 kilograms of beef for high-end markets, including Ha Noi.

The project has an exclusive sales arrangement with the Rural Food JSC in Ha Noi and recently signed a contract with Big C supermarkets to sell beef in stores across Viet Nam.

According to the project organisers, the initial results were promising with strong sales volume growth, and a Mong beef brand was being established.

The Le Thanh Construction Company said participating farmers would see at least a 15 per cent increase in income because they could sell their beef at a premium. — VNS