The People’s Committee of Tien Giang Province has recently issued Plan No. 151/KH-UBND regarding the organization of the “Tien Giang Fruit Festival 2024.” This is the first time that the Fruit Festival, a regional-scale event, is being hosted by the Tien Giang provincial People’s Committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
ASSERTING THE BRAND VALUE OF SPECIALTY CROP VARIETIES
Mr. Nguyen Van Man, Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, shared that Tien Giang is a key province in Vietnam when it comes to fruit production, meeting domestic consumption demands and serving processing and export purposes. Currently, the province boasts approximately 68,000 hectares of fruit trees, yielding over 1 million tons of fruit per year.
Numerous fruit varieties from Tien Giang have established renowned brands, such as Hoa Loc mango, Lo Ren custard apple, Ngu Hiep durian, Cho Gao dragon fruit, Go Cong strawberry, Tan Lap pineapple, Mac Bac Kim Son sapodilla, Nhi Quy longan, and Tan Phu Dong jackfruit.
“In 2023, Tien Giang exported over 23,865 tons of fruit, amounting to 45.7 million USD. From January to April 2024, the province exported approximately 11,000 tons of fruit, marking an increase of 82.1% compared to the same period last year. The export value reached nearly 21 million USD, a surge of 86.6% compared to 2023.”
Mr. Nguyen Van Man, Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang.
Tien Giang is home to the largest specialized pineapple-growing area in the Mekong Delta, spanning 15,082 hectares. This region, encompassing communes such as Thanh My, My Phuoc, Hung Thanh, Thanh Tan, Thanh Hoa, Tan Hoa Dong, Tan Lap 1, and Tan Lap 2, yields an average productivity of 17 tons per hectare, resulting in an annual production of more than 257,843 tons. Cai Lay district boasts approximately 9,013 hectares of durian trees, encompassing various durian cultivars, with an annual yield of 197,119 tons and an average productivity of 22 tons per hectare. The durian-specialized region is concentrated in communes such as Ngu Hiep, Tam Binh, Long Trung, and Long Tien.
Cho Gao dragon fruit is another renowned brand from Tien Giang, with an area of 6,500-7,000 hectares and an annual production exceeding 150,000 tons. Presently, the province has over 1,579 hectares dedicated to growing Hoa Loc mango, predominantly along the Tien River in Cai Be and Nam Cai Lay districts, with an estimated annual yield of 35,926 tons. Cai Be district currently leads the province in mango cultivation.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Man, as of early May 2024, Tien Giang had been granted 389 codes for fruit-growing areas eligible for official export, covering a total area of nearly 25,000 hectares. This breakthrough has unblocked bottlenecks in fruit exports, propelling famous local fruit brands like green-skinned pomelo, Cho Gao dragon fruit, Ngu Hiep durian, Vinh Kim Lo Ren custard apple, and Hoa Loc mango into the global market.
The province also hosts several institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including the Southern Fruit Research Institute, the Southern Plant Protection Center, and the Southern Agricultural College. These entities effectively facilitate agricultural production activities.
“This Fruit Festival aims to assert the brand value of specialty fruits of Tien Giang province, the Mekong Delta region, and Vietnam’s fruit industry as a whole,” shared Mr. Man. “It will create a space and opportunities to foster sustainable value chain linkages for Vietnam’s key agricultural industries.”
A MULTITUDE OF IMPRESSIVE EVENTS
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), announced that the Tien Giang Fruit Festival 2024 will take place from June 10 to 12, 2024, coinciding with the Tet Doan Ngo (Vietnamese Midsummer Festival) holiday. The festival will be held at Hung Vuong Square in Long Hoa B, Dao Thanh, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province.
Under the theme “Tropical Emotions,” the festival will feature a plethora of impressive events. These include a live broadcast of the opening ceremony, incorporating an artistic music and dance performance that blends professional artists with enthusiastic local participants. The performance will convey a message about the distinctive “garden civilization” of the Mekong River Delta. Additionally, sustainable farming models and exemplary processing and trading enterprises will be honored and commended.
The festival will host a range of community-engaged activities, such as a garden culinary space, a contest for delicious fruit-based dishes, an art festival featuring fruit arrangements, and complimentary fruit-tasting sessions for visitors during specified hours. There will also be a fun run with participants donning costumes and carrying fruit-themed props, as well as a youth festival involving creative fruit-themed costumes and characters.
Trade promotion and business facilitation will be central to the festival, with a series of concurrent events: A space for displaying, promoting, and trading fruits, fruit products, and One Commune One Product (OCOP) items from various provinces and cities, alongside a showcase of OCOP products and fruits from districts, towns, and cities within Tien Giang Province. There will also be an area dedicated to innovation, presenting models, ideas, and research applications related to the fruit industry, as well as introducing technology and techniques that embrace green and circular approaches.
Additionally, the festival will feature the Mekong Delta – Tien Giang Regional Industry and Trade Fair 2024 and a week-long specialty fruit promotion at select modern distribution systems nationwide. On this occasion, the OCOP product introduction and sales point of Tien Giang Province and the Tri Son Bird’s Nest Center will be inaugurated solemnly.
A series of workshops and conferences will be held during the festival, including a workshop on “Enhancing Competencies and Skills in Promoting Fruits and Fruit Products on E-commerce Platforms, Integrated with Livestream Selling Activities.” There will also be a trade promotion conference for market information exchange, a workshop on “Constructing a Sustainable Model for Durian Exports to International Markets,” a dialogue between experts and farmers, and a scientific conference on nutrition and culinary arts related to Vietnamese fruits. Furthermore, a conference will be held to promote and introduce rural and garden tourism in Tien Giang, along with the launch of a digital tourism map titled “Exploring the Tropical Fruit Garden.”
Taking advantage of this occasion, the Tien Giang Durian Association and the Vietnamese Durian Industry Club will be officially introduced.
