Nguyen Huy Mien (49) and his wife are working in their potato field on December 14, 2023. — Photo of Yonhap

by Bum Soo Kim

LÂM ĐỒNG — In accordance with supply contracts with Orion, over 400 farm households have been growing potatoes in the highlands on 500 hectares (1 ha = 10,000 sq.m) at 1,000 meters above sea level in Đơn Dương, Lâm Đồng Province, southern Việt Nam.

Nguyễn Huy Miên (49) and his wife, who have been supplying potatoes to Orion for seven years, hailed Orion for helping farmers in the village increase their income during an interview with a Yonhap correspondent on December 14 (local time). "Tinh" refers to cordiality in Korean.

"Thanks to Orion's support for farm machinery, we have sharply reduced costs and time by replacing much manual work, which has led to income growth and an improved quality of life," Miên said.

"As we settle purchase agreements with Orion prior to the harvest, we're able to dedicate ourselves to farming without worrying about where to sell them or what the prices are," Miên added. "Orion is a grateful partner."

Potato fields in Đơn Dương, Lâm Đồng Province, southern Vietnam, on December 14, 2023. — Photo of Yonhap

In 2016, Orion, Việt Nam's No.1 raw potato snack company, launched the "Hometown Potato Project" to raise the quality of potatoes, raw materials for its flagship products Austa and Swing, and to support supplying farmers.

Through the project, the company has been providing farming machines and research facilities every year, which are estimated to be valued at VNĐ25.3 billion dong (1.3 billion won).

Orion's contract farmers amount to a total of more than 10,000 households from 14 northern provinces, including Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang, Quảng Ninh and Thái Nguyên, to two southern provinces, Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng.

To date, the company has donated 33 tractors, which has contributed to reducing labor costs and working hours for potato cultivation.

Orion also laid the foundation for producing quality potatoes by providing best seed potato varieties and seed culture facilities free of charge. All these efforts have contributed to farmers' increased income.

Starting this year, the snack company has been supplying contract farmers in Lâm Đồng Province with high-quality fertiliser worth 200 million won for free, while providing scholarships for students studying potatoes at the Agrobiology Institute of the National Vietnam Agricultural University.

"Scholarships and supports for production facilities will lead to Vietnam's agricultural development," said Chung Moon Kyo, a chief director in charge of supporting contract farmers at Orion Vietnam, who has worked as a former researcher at the potato breeding lab of the Rural Development Administration.

Orion, which kicked off its business ties with Việt Nam, along with the exports of Choco Pie in 1995, opened a local office in HCM City in 1997 and founded its Việt Nam subsidiary in 2005.

As of today, it has production facilities and sales organisations in the north and south of the country, with more than 3,600 local employees.

Choco Pie, its flagship product, boasts a stunning number of sales, which reach more than 3.5 billion in over 60 countries around the world annually, with Vietnam's share in the global annual sales number amounting to more than 575 million last year.

Propelled by these strong sales, Orion recorded 472.9 billion won in sales last year, solidifying its unwavering status as the leading company in the Vietnamese confectionery industry.

Furthermore, Orion has been carrying out various social contribution activities, such as support for elementary schools, as well as the Hometown Potato Project, in line with its unique win-win management policy that it shares "affection" with not only consumers but also local communities.

In 2017, the company provided educational equipment, such as computers, projectors and pianos, worth 50 million won for the Tumai Primary School in Bắc Giang Province, northern Việt Nam, and built a football field as well.

This year, it launched a project to renovate the restrooms of four schools in HCM City and Lâm Đồng Province.

Employees at Orion Vietnam in charge of supporting potato farm households in Vietnam pose for a photo on December 14, 2023. — Photo of Yonhap

While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was spreading, it delivered 430,000 Choco Pies to medical workers and soldiers working on quarantine measures aimed at overcoming the pandemic.

According to the company, as part of its eco-friendly management, it is also working on carbon emission reduction by adopting renewable energy sources, including biomass and solar power generation systems, at its production facilities.

"Most of our employees have been eating our products, such as Choco Pie, since their childhoods, so they recognise Orion Vietnam as one of the local firms," said Park Se-yeol, CEO of Orion Vietnam.

"We will continue to engage in various social contribution activities so as to reciprocate the love and affection we've got from consumers and local communities." — Yonhap