Export to China struggles, Dong Thap redirect sweet potatoes to domestic consumption

Dong Thap has proposed Chau Thanh district coordinate with relevant industries, unions, businesses, and localities among others to support the connection and consumption of sweet potatoes for farmers.

To support Chau Thanh farmers, in recent days many businesses, cooperatives, and supermarkets have joined hands to connect and consume the sweet potatoes. Photo:  Le Hoang Vu.

By June, the total area for Japan's purple sweet potato cultivation in Chau Thanh district (Dong Thap remained at 266 hectares with the total output reaching 8,494 tons, mostly at Hoa Tan, Phu Long, Tan Phu communes. Currently, the consumption of potatoes has facing many difficulties, the harvest cost can not be covered by the selling price, traders buy limited quantities. Farmers produce spontaneously, without linkage and close connection with the consuming units, mainly because traders buy and export informally to China.

To support Chau Thanh farmers, in recent days many units such as Dong Thap Specialty Cooperatives, Dong Thap Entrepreneurs Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, Dong Thap Trade Foundation Group, and a system of supermarkets have been connecting and consuming sweet potatoes for farmers. However, sweet potato production is still very large.

Shortly, Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee Pham Thien Nghia asked Chau Thanh district to coordinate with sectors, organizations, localities, and businesses to join hands to support the connection and consumption of sweet potatoes for farmers. According to orders, other levels of communes, districts, sweet potato production cooperatives, and local farmers must also join in and urgently supply enough potato output.

In the long run, Dong Thap chairman also suggested the farmers reorganize the production, in which production must be linked with businesses and improve product quality. They also need to expand the area of cultivation in line with safety standards, build the brand name of Chau Thanh sweet potato, and improve cooperatives' sweet potato processing capacity post-harvest.

The agricultural sector needs to develop a map for agricultural products, especially for the agricultural restructuring, update output, production area, and harvest time. Thereby, there would be control, timely consumption connection, and making recommendations to help farmers produce agricultural products more sustainably.