Vietnam's farmers go bananas over lucrative export crop

A number of provinces around the country plan to concentrate on growing bananas for export, due to increasing world demand.

The central province of Quang Tri grows chuoi moc, a banana variety unique to that region. Most of its bananas end up in mainland China.

Farmers in the province exported more than 400 tonnes of bananas at VND4.5 million (S$340) a tonne this lunar new year.

Nguyen Van Quy, head of Huong Hoa District People's Committee's Agriculture Department, where chuoi moc is the chief export crop, said bananas are grown on 1,300ha of farmland. He said each hectare earned between VND40-VND50 million a year.

About 50 tonnes of bananas are harvested each day by farmers for export.

Last year, the district's total exports were worth VND70 billion.

In the northern province of Lao Cai, farmers also earn lucrative incomes from growing bananas.

Tran Thi Mai, from Muong Khuong District's Ban Lau Commune, said she earned VND200 million a year from her 15,000 banana plants.

In Thong Nhat District's Quang Trung Commune, in the south-eastern province of Dong Nai, bananas are grown on more than 1,200ha of farmland.

Kien Giang Province's Co-operative Alliance and the U Minh Thuong District People's Committee plan to expand banana cultivation ten-fold in the U Minh Thuong National Park's buffer zone to 2,000ha.

Dr Nguyen Van Khai, a well-known agricultural consultant, said bananas were one of 14 kinds of fruit that played an important part in the nation's export industry.

"Bananas were typically grown only on uncultivated land. The plants acted as natural fences to protect farmers' gardens, but now everything is different. Bananas are quite simple to grow and proper cultivation will surely bring bumper crops," he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed a plan to grow vegetables, fruits, and ornamental trees including a target to increase banana exports to 100,000 tonnes, worth $35 million, this year.