Holland to Support Vietnam's Cocoa Development Plan

Holland has pledged to help Vietnam expand cacao production industry by raising public awareness of the sector, providing training on cacao development and ensuring environmental protection standards.

 

An agreement was signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in Hanoi September 21.

 

Deputy MARD Minister Diep Kinh Tan said that by the end of May, 2007, Vietnam has had almost 9,000 ha of high quality cacao, mainly in the south of the country.

 

According to Sharief Mohamed, a senior expert from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Vietnam has a tremendous potential for cacao industry in the southern and Central Highlands provinces. “If Vietnam implements appropriate policies, it would become the largest cacao producer in the world due to its unique flavor,” he said.

 

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved a project to develop cacao up until 2015 aimed at cultivating 60,000 hectares of cacao by 2015 in order to yield 52,000 tons of dry cacao nuts and earn between US$50-60 million from export revenues.

 

By 2020, 80,000 hectares of cacao will be in place and produce 108,000 tons of dry cacao nuts with export revenues of between US$100 and US$120 million.

 

Vietnam is expected to reap 170 tons of cocoa this year and 500 tons in 2008. (Vietnam Economic Times, VNA)