Thu Dau Mot orchids on integration pathway

Determining that the orchid cultivation is suitable with urban agricultural production in the suburb of Binh Duong Province, various households in the province have cultivated various orchid to supply for the markets in and outside of Binh Duong Province. Currently, the Club of Binh Duong Orchid Garden has gathered 87 members and gradually affirmed the brand-name of Thu Dau Mot orchid in the market.

Model of high income

Le Van Dat, the Deputy Manager of the Club informed that the club was established in 2010 with 28 initial members which are now 87. The area of orchid cultivation has been increased to over 7 ha with over 395,000 orchid plants including mokara, dendro, cattleya, phalaenopsis, rhynchostylis gigantean, etc.

The garden areas of members vary from 200 m2 to 2,000 and up to 5,000 m2. Doan Cong Kha residing at Vinh Tan of Tan Uyen Town was well-known for his orchid garden of 2 ha.

The establishment of Thu Dau Mot Orchid brand-name will be helpful for local orchids to be supplied to various markets.

So as to improve production capacity, the club managers have ventured to construct models of new technology application into production and called upon members to implement. Since 2011, the club has implemented the project of mokara orchid for branch cutting by modern technology transferred by Ho Chi Minh City Center for Agriculture Promotion. The project tested the cultivation density of 6 to 7 plants a square meter with quantified fertilizers and semi-automatic smog spraying to reduce workmanship. Up to date, the project has been preliminarily effective with double outputs.

By such success, income of orchid planters has been visually increased. An orchid plant can be cut 7 times a year; at the price of VND 5,500 an orchid branch on an area of 1,000 m2, the income, after deducting the cost and expenses, is relatively high. The challenge is that the preliminary investments are from VND 50 to 70 million; however, the average income could be VND 10 to 13 million a month and much higher during holidays.

Gradual integration

The emergence of orchids from Thailand, Taiwan, and neighborhood nations, which has been enabled by global integration and participation of Vietnam into commercial treaties, has been of great challenge to domestic products. To improve current strength, the collective brand-name has been registered to Department of Intellectual Property under Ministry of Science and Technology by the club. Concurrently, the club has enabled the establishment of a collective of production, trade, and services of Thu Dau Mot Orchid so that the member farmers can exchange experience and measures to develop the orchids.

The collective is established to service the development of urban and high-tech agriculture of Thu Dau Mot City and Binh Duong Province. The collective members will be trained how to plant orchids by the procedures to assure blossom quality, meeting the domestic market demands and gradually obtaining the standards and production process by VietGAP to supply to regional markets.

“The supplying of collective brand-name of Thu Dau Mot orchids and introduction of Thu Dau Mot Orchid Club has affirmed the brand-name in Binh Duong Province and Thu Dau Mot City. The transferring of technologies has oriented orchid planters to the direction of urban and high-tech agriculture to, beforehand, satisfy domestic market, and gradually, export to regional markets,” said Le Van Hung, the Chair of Thu Dau Mot City Association of Farmers.

Reported by Hoang Pham – Translated by Vi Bao