Putting dragon fruit into the group of national key crops

To develop dragon fruit into a national key crop, Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Environment accompanies local authorities, businesses, and farmers to improve the quality of new varieties, apply VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic standards, electronic traceability associated with deep processing to expand domestic and export markets.

Lam Dong dragon fruit is rising to become a national staple crop.

Building large-scale production areas

Since August 2019, the People's Committee of the former Binh Thuan province (now Lam Dong province) has identified dragon fruit and dragon fruit processed products as key crops to apply policies to encourage businesses to invest in development. By April 2024, the project on Dragon Fruit Development to 2030 will continue to be issued and implemented.

In particular, building a large-scale concentrated dragon fruit production area, ensuring disease safety, environmental friendliness, meeting domestic and international good agricultural practice standards. Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Environment identifies this as a regular, long-term task, always closely monitored and updated on developments, trends, and increasingly high market demands to promptly adjust and issue policies to convert dragon fruit production and consumption in accordance with the actual situation...

Through review, the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection (Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong) said that the entire area of ​​dragon fruit in Lam Dong province has been granted growing area codes and packaging facility codes for export to markets such as China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Specifically, the department inspected and supervised 106 codes for growing areas of 14,377 hectares and 38 codes for packaging facilities; at the same time, guided and inspected the application for new issuance of 25 codes for growing areas of 1,232 hectares and 19 codes for packaging facilities.

Statistics show that the total dragon fruit area in Lam Dong is currently about 25,900 hectares, accounting for nearly 40% of the total area of ​​the country. In particular, the off-season fruiting lamp technique has increased the total stable harvested dragon fruit area to more than 22,000 hectares, equivalent to an output of 520,000 tons, an increase of 7% over the same period in 2024.

In general, the entire Lam Dong dragon fruit region has stabilized cultivation, reaching the rate of VietGAP standard area (45%), GlobalGAP (12%) and 300 hectares of organic standard. The production structure of white-fleshed dragon fruit (65%), red-fleshed and purple-pink dragon fruit (35%). The domestic consumption market accounts for about 18% of output, mainly through the distribution systems of Winmart, BigC, Thu Duc wholesale market, Binh Dien, Co.opmart... The consumption price of white-fleshed dragon fruit in the first half of 2025 is about 12,000 VND/kg lower than that of red-fleshed dragon fruit.

Turn advantage into sustainable brand

Mr. Huynh Canh - Chairman of Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association said that in the last months of 2025, 1,000 hectares of GlobalGAP and organic dragon fruit will be expanded; businesses will be encouraged to invest in deep processing of dried, frozen, and juiced dragon fruit products to extend the shelf life; maintain geographical indication protection, promote with QR stamps for traceability; participate in international fairs in Hong Kong, India, UAE, Europe; increase market share in the US, EU, Japan, Korea, India, the Middle East, etc.

Strengthening trade connections, expanding dragon fruit consumption market

Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Environment is attracting investment in a dragon fruit quality inspection room in Lam Dong region 2. Previously, in Lam Dong region 1, a business registered to build this Inspection Room, facilitating quarantine and analysis of food safety quality of dragon fruit before export.

In addition, the department is coordinating with the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection to negotiate with the US Animal and Plant Quarantine Service to apply measures to heat fresh dragon fruit when exporting; coordinating with the Southern Fruit Institute to restore and replant white-flesh dragon fruit varieties that adapt to climate change, achieve high productivity and quality, and are resistant to pests and diseases, in order to replace old white-flesh dragon fruit gardens with low economic efficiency.

With favorable natural conditions, constantly improving product quality and increasingly open market potential, Lam Dong dragon fruit is fully capable of becoming a national key crop, turning advantages into sustainable brands, contributing to increasing income and developing a green economy for the Lam Dong land where sea, forest... converge.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/dua-thanh-long-vao-nhom-cay-chu-luc-quoc-gia-393540.html