The complex's groundbreaking ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Quyết

SƠN LA - Đồng Giao Foodstuff Export JSC held a ceremony in the northern mountainous province of Son La on Tuesday to launch the construction of a fruit and vegetable processing complex.

Located in Hát Lót Commune, Mai Sơn District, the Doveco Sơn La complex is the third of its kind in the province with a designed capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes of products each year and a total investment of about VNĐ400 billion (US$9.3 million).

Once operational in 2021, the complex will be able to process more than 500,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables of various kinds per year. It is also expected to generate jobs to hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyễn Hữu Đông said Sơn La plans to develop a farm produce material zone covering 30,100ha with an output of more than 240,400 tonnes, mostly mango, banana and passion fruit.

The locality is home to 147 safe food supply chains with 21 farm produce items with protection certificates and 16 others that are exported. Its total food and farm produce export was estimated at $74.46 million in the first nine months of this year.

The province is expected to have more than 80,500ha of fruit by the end of this year, the second-largest area among localities nationwide. — VNS