Dalat Vegetables

 

Conditions for developing vegetables in Dalat

Dalat is a famous tourist city of Vietnam and also a famous vegetable cultivation region of the country. Its location is in tropical and monsoon zone but with influence of an altitude, Dalat has a climate of a temperate zone. Although its area is not big (42,400 ha) but favoured by nature with special temperate climate, Dalat could produce vegetables and fruits of temperate zone around the year.

The vegetable growing career in Dalat has been known for long time and developed strongly in the last period of the 30’s. The vegetables of Dalat are delicious and nutritious with specific flavour of those from temperate zone. The high grade vegetables that are spinach, salad, rose potato, cauliflower green and white, white cabbage… now have been available not only in regular meals of people living in Dalat, but also in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in the South and the Central and nearby countries as well. Talking about vegetables of Dalat, it’s worth mentioning the districts of Don Duong, Duc Trong and Dalat city, the total vegetable output of these 3 regions is about 250,000 tons, controlling about 30% of vegetables of the country.

The benefit of Dalat vegetables is not only a significant source of income but it helps to produce jobs for people in Dalat and Lam Dong province, contributing to the economic growth of the province in recent 10 years. However, from 1990, the vegetable growing career has been developing, most of Sourthern provinces have produced themselves fresh vegetables, influencing the unique position of vegetable of Lam Dong-Dalat. (although its quality is still advantageous).

The problem posed to vegetables of Lam Dong – Dalat is to look for consuming markets, specially export markets, and to improve cultivation procedure for high quality products that could be able to meet the taste of foreign markets. In addition, local consumers shall gradually have higher demand for better products for their health. This factor raises many other problems needed to be solved, and the production of standard clean vegetables and organic vegetables is of first concern of Dalat. The German technology development of GTZ, Metro Vietnam and the Ministry of Commerce want to have indepth research of the value chain of Dalat vegetables, from which they could find out the relationship and the links affecting the chain, in an effort to improve the effectiveness of Dalat vegetables and minimize difficulties for necessary support in the future.

Its altitude is over sea level of 1,000 – 1,600 m, the climate is fresh and temperate around the year, with an annual average heat of 18-22oC, rain quantity from 1,400-1,800 mm for two seasons (rainy and dry seasons), Dalat has favours and advantages in respect of temterature suitable for vegetables to grow and develop. Dalat and its surroundings have become famous vegetable specializing cultivation areas of Vietnam, with prosperous and diversifying species that come from many sources in the country and abroad. Vegetable regions of Dalat, and Lam Dong in general are suitable for production of high quality vegetables, specially those vegetables for exporting to foreign markets. The quality of vegetables in fresh climate is always higher than those in hot areas, in addiion, the investment for growing high ranking vegetables in hot areas don’t give high economic value due to insects and deseases, labor costs and fees are also higher than in cool regiions.

Areas of vegetable cultivation in Dalat

The vegetable specializing cultivation regions in Dalat had been established since the years of 1934-1935 with traditional geographical names like: Da Thien, Thai Phien, Van Thanh, Bach Dang… and famous surrounding areas like: Lac Nghiep, Lac Xuan, Lac Vien, Lac Lam of Don Duong with many high ranking vegetable species that give high economic value. During the last 60 years, as compared to other cities and provinces of the country, farmers in the vegetable regions of Lam Dong – Dalat have received technical advances from many sources under many forms, such as through seminars, training courses, farming encouraging models, learning production experiences from domestic and foreign experts, with excellent contribution from favourable soils and experiences accumulated from many years of production.

Statistics of Dalat vegetables output

From the Liberation Day until now, the career of planting vegetables in Lam Dong – Dalat has been maintained and developing. Lam Dong is now a province that produces the biggest quantity of vegetables of the country. An estimate made until 2005, the area for growing vegetables of all kinds in Lam Dong is about 27,315 ha, of which Dalat has 7,150 ha. The area planting vegetables is increasing to form a specializing cultivation region to produce vegetables lines over big scope and high quality in the city of Dalat, districts of Duc Trong, Don Duong and it’s being enlarged in the district of Lac Duong. In Dalat, each household has an average of 2,500-3,000m2. and the number of households that produce vegetables in Dalat is about 7,000 households.

 

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