by Thu Anh

Võ Tòng Khuê, 26, a graduate in business administration from Hoa Sen University in HCM City, decided to start his own garden market instead of working for international companies.  

Khuê’s company, Nông Thị (FarmMart), offers vegetables cultivated under the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards called Vietgap.

It also offers customers new methods to grow vegetables in their own gardens. 

“My job is not related to my field of study, but it has a future,” said Khuê, who worked part-time at a bio-tech centre before starting his business.

After two years, his company began earning a profit.

Many of Khuê’s customers have used his consulting services and learned how to grow vegetables at home. 

“Many urban residents, including youth, enjoy gardening. We provide clients with gardening equipment and tools, and we also offer information and skills to help them grow vegetables that they can use daily,” said Khuê. 

“Our young experts can come and search for their customers’ homes to give advice. For customers who can’t build a garden at home, we invite them to join our farm located in Bình Thạnh District, where they can grow and pick vegetables themselves,” he said.  

Customers who want to use the service of Nông Thị should have a 10 square metre area at  home. Nông Thị’s fee is only VNĐ394,000 (US$17).

The fees for using the services at Nông Thị’s farm are higher, from VNĐ500,000 ($23) to over VNĐ1.2 million ($55), depending on the size of land used.

Khuê said his service appeals to customers who want safe food and products, and to improve the environment as well.

The agricultural and forestry fields are attracting more university graduates like Khuê. 

In HCM City and its neighbouring provinces, many local and foreign companies and factories are willing to employ skilled labourers working in the factories.

Recent surveys by job recruiting and career search websites such as Vietnamworks.com, vieclam.vn and careerlink show that many graduates are employed in jobs related to agriculture.

According to Trà Vinh University, the job recruiting sites are seeking more than 320 candidates for stable jobs with high salaries for CP Việt Nam Corporation, a leading company in husbandry with investment from Thailand.   

Candidates in biochemistry, aquaculture, veterinary and fish medical majors are given priority.

The Masan Group’s Masan Nutri Science is recruiting new labourers for its two brands, Anco and Proconco, in animal food and breeding.

They offer employees a total yearly salary of VNĐ250-280 million ($13,000), a high income for graduates.

Explaining the beginning of his career in a husbandry factory in Đồng Nai Province, Nguyễn Thanh Phong, a graduate of the city’s University of Agriculture and Forestry, said he chose his job as it was suited to his skills and labour market demand.    

"I plan to develop my own business after I learn at my current job,” he said.  

To satisfy the labour market demand, agricultural universities recently opened several new faculties, such as information technology (IT), environmental technology, bio-technology, food technology and property management. 

In addition to training more students, the schools have improved curricula and facilities. VNS