New project supporting sustainable development of cashew, pepper and fruit sectors

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is in the process of developing a project to support the sustainable development of the cashew, pepper and fruit sectors in Viet Nam (CPFP) funded by the World Bank and managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The project is expected to take place from 2021 to 2026. Expected project locations include Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Dak Lak and Gia Lai (for cashew and pepper) and Tien Giang, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Son La (for fruit sector, focusing on orange, grapefruit and mango products).

Overall objective of the project is: to develop a smart agriculture sector adapting to new climate conditions and improve cashew, pepper and fruit value chains in a modern and synchronous manner, capable of producing large quantity of commodities in a wide selection of varieties, with high quality, and high added value in some provinces in Viet Nam. Specific objectives include:

Economic objectives:

• For cashew component: 300,000 hectares of cashew of 318,000 producer households will apply advanced technology, farmers' profit per hectare is expected to increase by 30%.
• For pepper component: 100,000 hectares of pepper of about 150,000 producer households will adopt sustainable production practices and advanced technology, farmers' profit per hectare is expected to increase by 20%.
• For fruit component: 170,000 ha of fruit trees of 600,000 producer households, in project provinces, will adopt sustainable farming practices and advanced technology, farmers' profit per hectare is expected to increase by 20%.

Social objectives:

Approximately 318,000 cashew farmers, 150,000 pepper farmers and 600,000 fruit farmers in project provinces will be able to adopt smart agricultural practices and sustainable farming techniques, join value chain linkage with enterprises from production to consumption, and increase income by 20-30%.

Environmental objectives:

Reduce negative environmental impacts by reducing the amount of irrigation water, reducing the amount of fertilizers and pesticides in cashew, pepper and fruit production.

Institutional capacity improvement objectives:

• Strengthen institutional capacity of MARD and the provinces involved in the project, improve the capacity to manage the quality and value of cashew, pepper and fruit trees serving agriculture restructuring.
• Raise awareness among businesses, cooperatives, farmers’ groups and farmers on smart agricultural development in adaptation to climate change.

This is an important project and has received the attention of the Party, the State, Ministries, localities, farmers, businesses, scientists and the World Bank. The project will be developed and implemented to contribute to the sustainable development of cashew, pepper and fruit sectors as well as increasing income and creating employment in the agriculture sector. In addition, the project will contribute to reducing environmental impacts, especially reducing greenhouse gas emission and pesticide use. The project will promote Viet Nam's agriculture integration into regional and global agriculture, improving competitiveness of Viet Nam's cashew, pepper and fruit sectors in the international market.