Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research project provides Vietnamese growers with digital tools to improve their business
A mango cooperative run by Thai ethnic farmers in north-west Vietnam is gaining more choice over where it sells its fruit, opening new markets and strengthening its bargaining power with help from an A$2.3mn Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-supported project led by Applied Horticultural Research, Australia.
With the support of the project, the cooperative has been able to improve farming practices and sell its newly VietGAP-certified mangoes into modern retail channels, fetching prices up to 77 per cent higher through supermarkets in Hanoi than through traditional local markets.
Ban Chum Cooperative director Hoang Van Hai said the most important long-term benefit is not higher prices. It is having choices.
“Before, we could only sell to the local traders who were also our only source of market information and access. Now we have better information to compare prices and start negotiating with local traders,” he said. “It’s good to have stronger bargaining power.”
Ban Chum Cooperative had previously secured VietGAP certification – the nationally recognised standard for agricultural production – for some of its orchards. But this certification lapsed in 2023. With the project’s support, the cooperative regained certification and, more importantly, connected it with new market opportunities.
”Before, we did not implement VietGAP properly because we didn’t have enough support, so our products couldn’t reach higher-value markets. With the project’s very hands-on support, from production techniques like pruning, irrigation, fertilisation and pest control to market access, we have improved the quality of our mangoes and, for the first time, seen them sold in supermarkets,” said Hai.
Through hands-on training, the project helped Ban Chum farmers implement the record-keeping required for certifications, including documentation of farm inputs and production practices. This was supported by Eden Hub, a phone-based traceability application for recording production, post-harvest handling and shipment information.
“We first sat down with farmers, one-on-one and in small groups, to explain what certification involves and why it matters. We worked through paper-based record-keeping, helped install safety signage, and supported the cooperative through the formal application process,’ said Liam Rogers, the project co-leader from Applied Horticultural Research.
Growers have already seen some results, but more progress is needed on market access, branding and postharvest handling.
”These farmers are willing to modernise their production. But they need expertise in post-harvest technique to optimise product quality, as well as support with branding and marketing to strengthen their market access,’ said Nguyen Quoc Hung, the project’s co-leader and director of Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI) in Vietnam.
“We are confident we are giving them tools that can take them far beyond the scope of our project.”
