Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report 025/06VIE CARD 025/06 Improvement of Vietnamese vegetable production using GAP principles for seed and seedling production and superior hybrid varieties MS3: BASELINE SURVEY 2 Introduction This baseline survey was split into two key components, and was initially conducted from June 2007 and completed in June 2008. In June18-8 July 2007, Spooner-Hart and Nicetic, with FAVRI staff, conducted a baseline study of seed and seedling producers in the Red River Delta, Central Coast and Lam Dong and HCM city. They also conducted an initial survey of sub-PPD staff in a number of the designated project provinces. They also surveyed the Hanoi vegetable markets and Metro, which was done in collaboration with staff from CARD 06/028. Further surveys of identified project FFS sites were conducted in December 2007 and June 2008, and discussions/surveys with trainers and nursery industry personnel at the Lam Dong workshops in June 2008. A survey of Metro, and its attitude to GAP and “safe” tomatoes and cucumbers, was also finally completed in April 2008, and we received it in June 2008. This was an activity which had been delayed from the previous milestone report. In June 2007 Spooner-Hart and Nicetic with FAVRI staff, conducted a baseline study of seed and seedling producers and sub-PPD staff in 3 regions of Viet Nam: the Red River Delta, (Hung Yen and Vinh Phuc provinces) Central Coast (Quang Nam and Da Nang) and Lam Dong. In each province, survey questionnaires were used to gather information from tomato, cucumber producers and seedling producers, using a Participatory Rural Apppraisal (PRA) approach. Data collected included current crop varieties grown, key pests and diseases, and yield and quality and costs and returns. In addition, the knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices of the target farmers to GAP in the context of vegetable production was also assessed. The interview forms for seedling producers and farmers are presented as Appendix 1. The baseline study also investigated key markets and market requirements for cucumbers and tomatoes in Ha Noi, via visits to the Ha Noi vegetable markets at Long Bien and the supermarket chain Metro Cash and Carry, in Ha Noi. The Metro visit was facilitated through collaboration with personnel from project CARD 06/028. 3 Findings The estimated areas of tomatoes and cucumbers grown in provinces associated with CARD 06/025 are presented in Appendix 3. Tomatoes The survey showed that there were significant differences in all aspects of seedling and field crop production for tomatoes between the regions. In the Central Coast (Quang Nam, Da Nang provinces), seed and seedling production was done entirely by farmers themselves on a small scale to supply their household demand. This meant that seedling production was around 500-several thousand. Production was not in a net house, and seedlings were not grafted, despite bacterial wilt being recognised as a problem. There are 2 seasons, with transplanting commonly in December-March, and April-September, with the crop lasting for approximately 2.5 months. The most commonly grown tomato was the local, open-pollinated variety BOM. Seed was normally produced by the farmers from their previous crop. Tomato fields were commonly between 360-720 m 2 . The major pest and disease problems were bacterial wilt fruit caterpillar and TYLCV, with flooding in autumn also frequently causing major crop losses. Interestingly, there was no understanding of the relationship between TYLCV and its vector, silverleaf whitefly, Bemesi tabaci. In some districts in Quang Nam (e.g. Phuong truong Xuan in Tam Ky), one district identified location for FFS, most farmers had ceased growing tomatoes because of regular crop failure from bacterial wilt. Average yield is around 20 tonnes/ha. Tomatoes are sold locally (in Da Nang sometimes also to supermarkets), at a price of 4-5000 VND/kg. In Quang Nam, the prices received for tomatoes are generally lower (closer to 2000-3000 VND/kg), and the sub-PPD estimated an average return to farmers would be around 300,000 VND/60m 2 (50,000,000 VND/ha). There is the opportunity for future market expansion as a result of recent developments in Hon La Economic Zone Quang Ngai province as well as the Dung Quat Industrial Zone and Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in Quang Nam. In Da Nang, the majority of tomato and cucumber farmers were women (probably because men could find jobs in Da Nang city), whereas in Quang Nam, there was a higher proportion of male farmers. 4 In the Red River Delta (RRD), all three provinces surveyed had seedling production on a medium scale (e.g., Van Lam district - Hung Yen province and Vinh Tuong district - Vinh Phuc province). Here, seedling producers produced between several hundred thousand to several million tomato seedlings, generally to supply growers within their province. Production was in a mesh or shadehouse, but in the ground. Grafting was not practised. However, a very small number of farmers purchased grafted tomato seedlings from FAVRI (through its commercial arm, CIDHOP). There were a range of tomato varieties grown in the RRD. More than 90% of farmers bought F1 hybrid tomato seed from the local agents, who were normally supplied pesticides, and sometimes fertilisers. These agents also sometimes provided farmers with advice on crop production and selection of pesticides. Popular varieties included Perfect 89 (August plantings) (Syngenta), P375 (November) (Known You seed Co) VL642, VL2003, VL2004 and VL2910 (Lotus Seed Co.), and Savior (Syngenta). Only a few farmers in RRD (approximately 2%) produced open-pollinated tomato seeds for their own use. Small plantings of cherry tomatoes also occurred in Ha Nam and Vinh Phuc; these were mainly used for processing. Size of tomato fields was commonly 350-1000 m 2 . There are normally two tomato crops per year in most RRD provinces. The main season commences in September-October, with transplanting occurring then, and harvesting completed in December-January. The off season crop is transplanted in Feb-March, with harvest finishing in May-June. The major pests and diseases were late blight, TYLCV and bacterial wilt, with fruit caterpillar being a problem in some districts. Heavy rain and waterlogging also affected crop production in some provinces, and crops in provinces near Ha Noi were sometimes totally flooded. Reported yields varied, depending on locality and season. Yield was commonly reported to be around 30 tonnes/ha although much higher yields of 40-80 tonnes/ha in were reported for some districts in Ha Nam and Vinh Phuc. Fruit was generally sold locally, but was also sold to wholesalers where it made its way to the Ha Noi markets. Prices for tomatoes varied from as low as 1500 VND/kg, due to market oversupply, but were commonly around 3000 VND/kg. Prices were highly volatile, and depended on season, weather (including flooding), availability of fruit from Lam Dong and China, and earliness within the season. It was reported that in Ha Nam farmers in a good season could receive up to 120 million VND/ha. Costs of production of non- grafted tomatoes were estimated by sub-PPD staff to be approximately 40% of 5 returns, excluding labour. In Ha Noi and Hai Phong, the majority of tomato and cucumber farmers were women, as males had other jobs in the cities. Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands is the largest production area for tomatoes in Vietnam. As a result, specialized and professional seedling production is undertaken on a large scale. There are at least 40 seedling producers in Lam Dong. They commonly produce from several million-12 million tomato seedlings per annum, with all of them growing other vegetable seedlings too. All producers have large net houses, and seedling production is in trays. Usually, more than 40% of tomato seedlings are grafted to bacterial wilt-resistant tomato rootstock. Seedlings are sold mainly in Lam Dong, but orders are also transported outside the province. The most commonly produced tomato variety is Anna (Seminis), because of its yield, size, oval shape and uniform deep red colour. Size of tomato fields is larger than the other regions, and is commonly several thousand square metres. Most crops are field planted, but increasingly are being produced in net houses or greenhouses. Tomato crops may be grown all year round, but the main (Spring-Summer) crop is transplanted around February-March, and is completed in June-July. The Autumn- Winter crop is normally transplanted around August, and is completed in December. Major problems are bacterial wilt, late blight in rainy season crops, and the viruses TYLCV and TSWV. Yield is normally more than 60-80 tonnes/ha, but can be over 120 tonnes/ha in well-managed crops. Tomatoes are commonly sold to agents or collectors, for distribution throughout Vietnam, but particularly Ho Chi Minh City. They are also exported to Cambodia. Prices to farmers vary, but are normally around 3500-4000 VND/kg. Cucumbers The survey showed that there were significant differences in many aspects of field production of cucumbers between the regions. In all regions, however, cucumbers are generally sown at seed, and are not transplanted. First harvest occurs around 35 days after sowing and harvesting continues for approximately 8 weeks, although this varies slightly with variety, season and district. There was, however a difference in varieties of cucumbers grown for the fresh market between the different regions and even provinces. The major reason for this was the appearance of the cucumbers and local 6 market acceptance rather than other agronomic factors, such disease resistance. The most important parameter was fruit skin colour, but fruit size and shape were also considered important. In the Central Coast, the size of cucumber fields is approximately 200-500m 2 . There are a number of cucumber varieties, all F1 hybrids, used including Trang Nong varieties, especially Trang Nong 133, Happy 14 (Southern Seed Co); and in Quang Nam the most common varieties used are Chaiyo 578 (Dai Dia Co, Chia Tai Co) and Amata 765 (Chia Tai Co). The major reported pests and diseases are thrips, white fly, and downy and powdery mildew. Farmers commonly apply 5-6 pesticide applications, mainly for mildews. Harvested fruit are preferred dark green, normally 18.5 to 20 cm long, approximately 4.5 cm width in the middle, and around 250-300 g. Yield varies, but is commonly between 25-30 tonnes/ha for hybrid cucumbers. For the older, open- pollinated varieties yield is lower and around 15-20 tonne/ha. Cucumbers sell for lower prices than tomatoes, at between 2000 and 2500 VND/kg in Da Nang. However, in Quang Nam, farmers in main season may receive as little as 1000 VND/kg, but higher in off-season. It was estimated that farmers could receive around 150 million VND/ha under these circumstances. In Quang Nam and Da Nang, cucumbers may be grown for three seasons in the year, namely December-February, March-June, June-September. Shortages of cucumbers can occur in August- September. In the RRD, the majority of cucumbers are grown for the fresh market, but there are significant plantings of processing (baby pickled) cucumbers in Hung Yen (particularly Kim Dong district - Phu Thinh commune) Ha Nam and Vinh Phuc. Production of processing cucumbers is highly regulated by the processing companies, which provide the seed and set standards for harvested fruit. Returns are lower than for fresh fruit production, but are less volatile. Processed cucumbers are exported to Russia and former USSR countries. For fresh production, the major varieties used are all F1 hybrids- Ninja 179, Amata 765 (Chia Tai Co), Trang Nong 20, Hung Thinh (Trang Nong Co). Most seed is bought by farmers from local pesticide/farm produce stores. Fresh cucumbers can be grown most of the year, but the main crops are February-May and August/September –December/January. In Ha Nam, there can be three crops- Winter-Spring, Spring-Summer, and Summer-Autumn. This province 7 also has the largest plantings of cucumbers of any in the CARD project. Yield is commonly around 30-35 tonnes/ha but may be as high as 40 tonnes. Major pest and disease problems are powdery and downy mildew, gummy stem blight, cucumber mosaic and thrips. Cucumbers are sold locally, or to agents for markets in Ha Noi. Returns are commonly 2500-3500 VND/kg. PPD staff estimated that production costs for cucumbers were around 35-40% of returns (excluding labour). There are no cucumbers produced in Lam Dong province. The cucumbers for Ho Chi Minh City markets are produced in areas surrounding the city, particularly Cu Chi. While this area was not part of the project, we met Dr Ngo Quang Vinh of IAS, located in Ho Chi Minh City, to discuss evaluation trials of cucumber varieties at Cu Chi. This was done to identify whether varieties which performed well in the north and in the central coast would be suitable for production in the south of Vietnam. Skills of seed producers/distributors (Southern Seed Company). Southern Seed Joint Stock company, based in Ho Chi Minh City, commenced in 1975 as a state enterprise, and was converted to a joint stock company in 2005. Apart from its main offices in Ho Chi Minh City it also has branch office in Ha Noi and a branch office in Phnom Penh. Southern Seed operates six manufacturing facilities and employs over 300 people. Its main activities are research, development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of agricultural seeds, particularly rice, hybrid corn, and vegetables. It produces a large proportion of its seeds in Viet Nam, but also imports and repackages seeds from USA, Thailand and India. It has seed quality control laboratories, and regularly checks batches of seeds during storage and prior to despatch. Southern Seeds has three experimental farms in various provinces in Viet Nam, and, in addition, conducts evaluation and demonstration trials in farmers’ fields. The largest of SSC’s farms is in Phu Giao district in Binh Duong province. It is 80 hectares and mainly used for vegetable seed production farm, with the major seed crops being cucumber, corn, pumpkin, long bean, luffa, bitter gourd, watermelon, and chilli. It is the major production area for F1 hybrid cucumber production: 1ha 8 cucumbers produces 200 kg seed. Crops are rotated to minimise disease, and drip irrigation is employed for a number of crops (e.g. luffa, watermelon, bitter gourd, long bean. Seed crops are grown in the seasons with minimal pest and disease problems. The major location for SSC’s tomato evaluation and hybrid production is Lam Ha district in Lam Dong. The area is ideal for tomato production. Hybrid seed is produced in the off-season. In addition, tomato evaluation trials are conducted in the South in Long An, Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces, and in the North in the district of Thanh Tri in Ha Noi. It sells seed throughout Viet Nam, as well as to Cambodia and Laos. Senior SSC staff were questioned about their ability to produce F1 hybrids, and it was immediately clear that the company has both the knowledge and expertise to produce hybrid vegetable seeds. The company currently produces hybrid cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as watermelon and corn, so we were convinced they could produce the F1 hybrids required in CARD 06/025. They were also quizzed as to their knowledge and interest in GAP. The staff displayed a good knowledge of both the principles and practices of GAP. They have quality control systems in place, both to meet Ministerial Standards for seed quality, but also to maintain customer satisfaction. The company is outward-looking. SSC is a member of The Asia and Pacific Seed Association, and has links with international seed companies, including in Australia. They expressed a particular interest in both evaluating AVRDC disease- resistant tomato varieties, and also producing any superior F1 hybrids for variety registration in Vietnam. 9 Attitudes, practices and experience of nursery/seedling producers There are no seedling producers for cucumbers, because the cucumbers are grown from seed planted directly in the ground. So this section will describe findings from tomato seedling producers only. In the Central Coast (Quang Nam, Da Nang provinces), seed and seedling production was done entirely by farmers themselves on a small scale to supply their household demand. This meant that seedling production was around 500-several thousand. Production was not in a net house, and seedlings were not grafted, despite bacterial wilt being recognised as a problem. Thus, seedling producers had the same (low, compared to the other regions) level of skills and knowledge as farmers generally. In the Red River Delta (RRD), all three provinces surveyed had seedling production on a medium scale (e.g., Van Lam district - Hung Yen province and Vinh Tuong district - Vinh Phuc province). Here, seedling producers produced between several hundred thousand to several million tomato seedlings, generally to supply growers within their province. A number of the seedling producers were also tomato growers, but this was not always the case. Production was in a mesh or shadehouse, but in the ground. Grafting was not practised by any seedling producer, except at FAVRI. A very small number of farmers purchased grafted tomato seedlings from FAVRI (through its commercial arm, CIDHOP). With the exception of the CIDHOP staff, most of whom were also staff of FAVRI, nursery staff in the RRD provinces had limited knowledge of tomato pests and diseases, and little knowledge of the range of safe pesticide options available for tomato production (e.g. PSOs), although many were aware of IPM through their experience of training in IPM for other crops. They had no knowledge of GAP, and none of the nurseries maintained records at level required for VietGAP compliance. More than half of the nurseries kept no written records except for sales of plants. Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands is the largest production area for tomatoes in Vietnam. As a result, specialized and professional seedling production is undertaken on a large scale. There are at least 40 seedling producers in Lam Dong. 10 They commonly produce from several million -12 million tomato seedlings per annum, with all of them growing other vegetable seedlings too. All producers have large net houses, and seedling production is in trays. Usually, more than 40% of tomato seedlings are grafted to bacterial wilt-resistant tomato rootstock. Seedlings are sold mainly in Lam Dong, but orders are also transported outside the province. Never- the-less, there was still quite a deal of variation in the quality of nursery operators’ level of knowledge, skills and nursery hygiene. The best seedling producer in Lam Dong was identified as Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong, Ductrong district. Mr Phong had received international training, and his nursery set-up was of a high standard, even for international seedling production. His knowledge and skills and record keeping, and those of his senior staff (including his wife) were of a very high standard, and so he was invited to be an active participant in the project. We were happy that he agreed. The level of knowledge and skills of other nursery producers was lower. While most kept records, they did not include use of fertilizers and pesticides, nor worker training and safety records. Most nursery operators in Lam Dong had heard of GAP, but were unsure about the practices required for GAP certification. Knowledge, skills and attitudes of farmers In Quang Nam, farmers had almost no knowledge of best practice methods for tomato or cucumber production. There had been no training in IPM in vegetables in the districts we surveyed, nor even in any aspect of production of tomatoes or cucumbers, let alone safe production. Consequently, they had limited knowledge of pests and diseases (for example, they did not understand the relationship between invest vectors and virus diseases, nor were they aware of other varieties of vegetables which might have higher disease tolerance), and no knowledge of grafting tomatoes. In the Hoi An area, however, training for farmers in several communes had been provided in safe leafy vegetable production and record keeping several years previously, but no farmer we visited was keeping written records, despite claiming to be producing “safe” vegetables. This district was not part of the CARD project. In one district (Tam Ky) in Quang Nam, which had been nominated for tomato and cucumber training FFS, tomatoes had not been produced for a number of years, because of the severity of bacterial wilt. Farmers had some understanding of IPM, mainly as a result of training [...]... Selection of varieties to produce Soil or growing media management Selection and purchasing of fertilisers Irrigation Pest and disease monitoring Selection and purchasing of pesticides Application of pesticides Marketing Selecting and purchasing equipment 18 8 Which plant varieties do you produce? Name of Varieties Production Number of Seedlings Do you produce in a net house Tomatoes For tomato seedlings,... were aware of the GAP concept and what the main purpose and core components of GAP are All were aware of the term GAP but none were aware that GAP is a retail and consumer driven concept to deliver safe food to retail outlets with minimum environmental impact in production They were not aware of traceability of product and record keeping as core concepts of GAP The most common response was that GAP involved... cucumber pests and diseases, but were less aware of best practices in tomato and cucumber production, such as pruning, grafting of tomatoes, and use of disease-resistant tomato and cucumber varieties All expressed the need for training in project workshops in best practice for tomato and cucumber production, as well as use of PSOs and resistant varieties of tomato and cucumber This matter was taken up with... implementation of best practice, including IPM It should be noted that, when this survey was being undertaken, the Declaration of VietGAP had not been made by the Ministry, although GlobalGap (formerly EurepGAP) and ASEANGAP had been in place for some time We discussed with the sub-PPD staff about the level of farmer compliance with GAP requirements Quite high compliance was estimated for application of only officially... for VietGAP certification Knowledge, skills and attitudes of PPD staff The sub-PPD staff in all provinces visited expressed strong interest in participating in the CARD project None of the potential trainers, even in Lam Dong, had conducted FFS training in tomato and/ or cucumber production They displayed good knowledge of the principles and practices of IPM and the major tomato and cucumber pests and. .. knowledge and abilities of the farmers The level of infrastructure, such as supply of quality tomato seedlings, was not as good as in Lam Dong However, cucumber production techniques were quite well advanced In the Central Coast, tomato farmers did not display the production skills and knowledge at the level of the other regions and, unfortunately, had no exposure to training in either tomato or cucumber production. .. records of operational activities Calculate net profit Budget for next production season Apply GAP principles 13 What best describes your organisation’s attitude to GAP? a b c d e Know little about it, so cannot comment Know something about GAP but do no see benefits Not interested in GAP Interested in implementing GAP, but need more assistance or information Currently implementing GAP 14 For what... of GAP, and almost no record keeping Farmers generally thought that GAP certification would be a good idea, but could not say why they thought so In Lam Dong, farmers had the best knowledge about tomato production However, there was no cucumber production in this province Most farmers could identify the major pests and diseases of tomatoes, and while they were aware of safe vegetable production and. .. EurepGAP and ASEANGAP Heard of it 11What best describes your organisation’s attitude to GAP? a Know little about it, so cannot comment b Know something about GAP but do no see benefits c Not interested in GAP d Interested in implementing GAP, but need more assistance X e Currently implementing GAP 12Do you believe that certified safe or GAP vegetables will receive a higher price than not certified vegetables?... production, but at a level of technology appropriate for implementation in Viet Nam Second, the importance of grafting technology for tomato production was recognised as an important advance in safe and economic tomato production While it was widely practiced in Lam Dong, it had limited adoption in the Red River Delta, and none in the Central Coast It was, therefore, decided to include tomato seedling grafting . Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report 025/06VIE CARD 025/06 Improvement of Vietnamese vegetable production using GAP principles for seed and seedling. tomato seedlings per annum, with all of them growing other vegetable seedlings too. All producers have large net houses, and seedling production is in trays. Usually, more than 40% of tomato seedlings. differences in all aspects of seedling and field crop production for tomatoes between the regions. In the Central Coast (Quang Nam, Da Nang provinces), seed and seedling production was done entirely