Packaging ‘key' to export competition

by Phuoc Buu

Central Highland residents tend their daisies in Da Lat City. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet

Amarnath Reddy, advisor to the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), stressed the significance of packaging at a conference held in the city famed for its flowers and fresh vegetables.

He said proper packaging would help preserve the quality of vegetables and flowers and make them look more attractive.

Reddy said packaging played an extremely important role in the export of vegetable and flowers.

While most domestic market segments do not really need quality packaging, "international markets always require high quality products and packaging items are part of the product," he said.

"Export of vegetables and flowers constitute 84 per cent of the total export turnover of the province," said Pham , director of Lam Dong Province's Department of Science and Technology.

However, Reddy said, the province had the potential to do much better in exporting its garden produce.

DANIDA revealed at the conference a successful model to raise the competitiveness of locally grown flowers and vegetables by enhancing their packaging.

The model was developed under its 5-year Global Competitiveness Facility for Vietnamese Enterprises (GCF) programme that was conducted in four provinces – former Ha Tay, Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong.

The VND135 billion (US$7 million) programme began implementation in 2006.

The GCF started its programme with the Phuoc Kim Thanh Packaging Company to raise its capacity in producing packaging for export-bound vegetables and fruits.

Reddy told Viet Nam News that the selection of an enterprise to receive GCF support was not a random process.

"The first criterion for the GCF to decide supporting an enterprise is that development of the enterprise should assist the development of businesses in other sectors," he said.

The other criteria include financial capacity, because the GCF provides 75 per cent or less of the programme's total expenses, and capacity to meet other specifications.

With the assistance provided through technology transfer, product model advice, equipment purchases and staff training, Phuoc Kim Thanh Company now has the capacity to run its production according to ISO9001:2008 standards and has products that meet packaging needs of local farmers and companies.

Dr Nguyen Ba Hung, director of the Organic Vegetable Company, said at the conference that there were many factors causing vegetables to lose their quality after harvesting, including bacterial attacks, physical damage, changes in temperature and humidity, and chemical reactions.

Hung said proper packaging could eliminate the effects of the four factors mentioned above.

The GCF was working to raise awareness among farmers and local firms of the need for better packaging, Reddy said.

In Da Lat, known as the City of Flowers, 25 flower growers formed a tissue culture club last Saturday.

The club aims to facilitate the sharing of members'knowledge and experience and to boost development of the Da Lat flower industry.

Announcing the formation of the Da Lat Plant Tissue Culture club, Tran Huy Duong, chairman of the Da Lat Flower Association, said there were 46 flower growers in the city who had their own culture labs.

"The club members will have chances to assist each other with technology and technique for production, and share information on market needs and trends," he told Viet Nam News.

Flowers grown using tissue culture had been exported to the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, China and Japan, Duong said.

But no specific information on exported quantities had been released because each producer had worked independently, he added.

"Tissue culture activities have been conducted but in an unplanned manner and the club provides an opportunity to boost the development of hi-tech agriculture in the province," said Nguyen Dinh Son, the club's chairman.

Son, also director of the Da Lat Flower Forest Company, said he expected the remaining 21 labs in the province to join the club soon. The company's 2000sq.m lab, the largest in the city, can produce12,000 seedlings a year.

Nguyen Duy Hai, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong, where Da Lat is located, said the province would focus on developing hi-tech agriculture in the coming time.

He praised the initiative shown by local producers to join hands and raise the quality of local produce. — VNS