Produce processors receive major help

Long An has huge potential for agricultural development, including development of produce for export. In recent years, the province has formed a number of commodity-oriented agricultural production areas.

There are more than 200 agricultural product processing enterprises in the province, most of which provide preliminarily processed produce with low added value. Only a few foreign-invested enterprises are capable of intensive processing, and they mainly use imported materials.

In 2022, the provincial industry promotion sector will continue to prioritize support for agricultural product processing enterprises

Long An has acknowledged the need to develop produce processing and is mobilizing resources to that end. Through a key national industry promotion project, the Industry and Trade Promotion Center of Long An Province has provided practical assistance for agricultural product processors in the region.

The HG Food Vietnam Joint Stock Company has invested in a new Vietnamese ultra-fine dragon fruit grinder (Model MN-2021) worth VND600 million, half of which is funded by a national industry promotion project. The new equipment has helped the company improve productivity, product quality, revenue and profit. Industry promotion funding indirectly helps farmers avoid price drops for bumper crops.

An industry promotion project has also funded a lemon processing and sorting line (Model PLC-2021), helping the Lam Van Nguyen household business overcome its labor shortage for lemon washing and classification.

Apart from funding by the national industry promotion program, agricultural product processing projects in Long An received financial assistance from the province. Beneficiaries of provincial industry promotion funding included a shrimp paste bottling and packaging line, a sausage dryer, and salted dry lemon and kumquat production, among others.

In 2022, the provincial industry promotion sector will continue to prioritize support for agricultural product processing enterprises. The Industry and Trade Promotion Center of Long An Province set 2022 targets of disbursing VND3 billion and VND1.5 billion worth of national and provincial industry promotion funding, in addition to VND3 billion and VND1.8 billion for trade promotion and investment consultancy activities.

Hai Linh