Dong Thap promotes fruit exports Dong Thap’s specialties have been exported to the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, and New Zealand. Exported fruits are Cat Hoa Loc and Cat Chu mangos and Edor longan. The exports are a great encouragement for Dong Thap farmers to develop their brands.  Ho Van Son, a farmer in An Nhon commune, Chau Thanh district, the home of longan, said the exports of Vietnamese fruits faced difficulties some years ago. Now Dong Thap’s fruits have had their brand names recognized and been available in a number of demanding markets with a new shipment of 150 tonnes of Edor longan to the US. Son said that to satisfy the export criteria, farmers have strictly followed he Vietnam Agriculture Practice (VietGAP) and the Global Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalGap) standards. The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has granted codes to 17 households in Chau Thanh to grow longan qualified to enter the US market. Truong Van Roi, Director of the Chau Thanh Longan Cooperative, said “We have called on local farmers to apply VietGAP standards in their cultivation and follow US’s regulations. They have done well and the outcomes are encouraging.” To date, the co-operative has provided exporters in Ho Chi Minh City with more than 300 tons of standardised Edor longan for shipment to the US.  Phan Kim Sa, Deputy Director of Dong Thap’s Industry and Trade Department said “Once our longan is accepted by the US market, it can be exported to other demanding markets.” 2015 was a successful year for farmers in Cao Lanh District and Cao Lanh City who succeeded in building the Cat Chu mango brand and exported hundreds of tons of mangoes to restrictive markets including Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. Huynh Thanh Ba, Deputy Director of the My Xuong Mango Cooperative in Cao Lanh District, confirmed that “In the future, the income of the farmers will be more stable if 70% of their mango output is for exports and the remainder is for the domestic market. In that way, our farmers can become well-off.” Nguyen Van Chi, Director of Tan Thuan Tay Mango Cooperative in Cao Lanh City, expressed their happiness to see that the integration process has helped many countries know about and buy Vietnamese mangos, especially Cao Lanh’s Cat Chu mangos.  "We will call on our members to pursue this model,” said Mr Chi.  In addition, red flesh dragon fruit and lemons are among Dong Thap’s export staples. The province has encouraged the sustainable cultivation of fresh fruit following VietGAP and GlobalGap standards to increase overseas shipments. VOV5