Trần Đình Tín in Châu Đức District’s Bình Giã Commune in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province grows cacoa trees in his orchard, which used to be a pepper orchard. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Nhị

BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU — More farmers in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province’s Châu Đức District have switched to growing cacao because of its high demand and stable income.

The southern province has 625ha of cacao, with Châu Đức accounting for nearly 600ha as it has weather and soil suitable for growing the tree.

Cacao is identified as the district’s key crop but its output now meets only one-third of the demand of processing establishments and companies.

Trần Đình Tín in Bình Giã Commune turned 5,000sq.m of his 1.5ha old pepper orchard into growing cacao trees on a trial basis last year.

After seeing the trees grow well, he switched completely to growing cacao in his orchard in this rainy season.

He chose to grow cacao because he saw one of his relatives growing the tree for 20 years and it has stable yield, few diseases, and stable prices and sales, he said.

The Châu Đức Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development gave him 950 cacao seedlings, he said.

As cacao trees have been rooted in the district for about 20 years, the district authorities have been encouraging farmers to establish co-operatives to enhance farming efficiency.

The Châu Đức Cacao Co-operative was established in 2022, with 11 member households who grew a total of 60ha in the district and Phú Mỹ Town.

Its membership has increased to 86 members with a total growing area of 80ha.

Lê Ngọc Cần, its director, said the district’s cacao products are sought by many domestic and foreign companies for export.

“We have many orders from our partners but the supply does not meet the demand. Whenever farmers harvest cacao, we buy the whole crop, and farmers do not worry about sales and prices. Therefore, farmers feel secure to expand growing areas.”

The district’s cacao is considered one of the world’s 100 best cacao.

Its cacao has a yield of 2.4-3 tonnes of dry seeds per hectare a year.

The district is encouraging farmers to grow cacao to Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) or organic standards.

Many companies have co-operated with co-operatives and farmers to grow cacao, harvest fresh fruits and ferment cacao seeds under strict processing processes to secure food safety.

Đỗ Chí Khởi, head of the bureau, said the district has implemented many programmes and plans to develop cacao cultivation, including a programme of giving farmers free seedlings and fertilisers.

It will grant VNĐ5 billion (US$200,000) to link stakeholders in growing and selling cacao this year. The money is used for buying seedlings, fertiliser and other input materials.

It aims to have 600ha of cacao next year and is encouraging and assisting companies, co-operatives and farmers to grow cacao to organic standards to meet export requirements.

It has provided techniques of growing the crop to farmers.

The Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Trade, Services and Agriculture Co-operative has five members and operates in 27 fields, including selling seedlings and input materials.

It has linked with 76 farmers to grow 116ha of cacao, including 5ha of organic cacao.

Trần Như Phong, who has a 2ha organic cacao orchard and links with the co-operative, said: “My orchard harvests about 17 tonnes of fresh fruits per hectare a year. The co-operative buys all the crop, so farmers feel secure to grow the fruit.”

Under the district’s cacao development plan, the co-operative will expand cacao growing areas, which have grown under linkages with farmers to 200ha this year.

Some cacao growing companies in the district have offered tourism services in their orchards in which tourists can experience growing and tending cacao trees and making cacao products. — VNS