Knapen: Growth market for sustainable food in Vietnam

HANOI – ‘The demand for sustainable and safe food is growing in Vietnam, and the spending power for such products has increased.

This creates opportunities for Vietnamese farmers and Dutch entrepreneurs, who are internationally renowned for their expertise in sustainable agricultural methods,’ development cooperation minister Ben Knapen said on Tuesday after visiting a sustainable vegetable producer near the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

The minister is paying a working visit to Vietnam to witness the transition from aid to trade and investment. Vietnam has an economic growth rate of around 5%, and is one of the three developing countries where the Netherlands is deploying knowledge and experience accumulated through development cooperation for economic diplomacy.

The minister visited a sustainable vegetable farm, established with the help of development funding as well as with private financial support by specialists from the Dutch food chain company Fresh Studio. He spoke with women who have been trained to cultivate 18 types of high-quality vegetables without excessive use of pesticides. The women produce vegetables such as amaranth, choy sum, cucumber, aubergine, kang kong, kohlrabi and spinach on their smallholdings, destined for the Vietnamese market.

The successful vegetable chain is now financially independent, and each day supplies large volumes of safe, fresh vegetables to the population of Hanoi. Fresh Studio currently has plans, together with PepsiCo and (on the Dutch side) HZPC, Wageningen UR and Agrico, to devise a new sustainable food chain for potatoes. Mr Knapen has asked the company to elaborate on these plans, and to send them to NL Agency for a final assessment.

Mr Knapen also visited the deputy foreign minister, Bui Thanh Son. Topics of discussion included bilateral ties, cooperation and dialogue between the European Union and Vietnam in various fields, including human rights. The World Bank’s annual meeting was also discussed. On Wednesday Mr Knapen will travel to Ho Chi Minh City to learn about flooding and water management problems there.

Source: www.rijksoverheid.nlAlso interesting to read:

Brochure: METRO Vietnam Fish sourcing

Brochure created by Fresh Studio for METRO Vietnam Fish sourcing project …

+ METRO Vietnam Fish sourcing brochure (7,0 MB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: English

Publication date: June 2012Also interesting to read:

New vegetable hub under development for Vietnam

MOC CHAU – Fresh Studio and Applied Plant Research of Wageningen UR are working on vegetable trials in the Moc Chau area since 2007, and recently Fresh Studio joined a team of local and international experts from a range of aid and development organizations to improve the market engagement for counter-seasonal vegetable producers in Moc Chau..

Urban consumers in North Vietnam encounter problems buying guaranteed safe vegetables especially during the hot and humid summer period in North Vietnam which starts in April and lasts until September. Because temperatures and humidity are too high in the Red River Delta plains to produce the required range of vegetables and there is limited supply of vegetables from Dalat from April to September, markets in North Vietnam are flooded with vegetables imported from China. This concerns consumers and government regulators due to questionable food safety standards.

The climatic advantage of the cooler mountains of Moc Chau, Son La province, an area 4-5 hours from Hanoi is used to develop a regional solution to supplement the vegetable supply from the Red River Delta during the summer period.

+ Download the article “New vegetable hub under development for Vietnam”

+ Download the article “Putting Moc Chau farmers on the map”

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Source: AsiaFruit Magazine

Publication date: May 2012 / April 2013Also interesting to read:

Manual: Greenhouse sweet pepper production

Greenhouse sweet peppers are primarily grown in three colours: green, red and yellow. No matter what the final colour of the pepper, all sweet peppers start out green in colour and the final colour develops as the fruit ripens.

In general the price of red and yellow sweet pepper is higher than green sweet pepper, making it more profitable to harvest sweet peppers grown in a greenhouse red or yellow. The sweet pepper plants can be kept in production from 4 – 8 months depending on the variety and production system used. Most farmers in Vietnam try to grow a sweet pepper crop for one year.

+ Sweet pepper production VNE (530 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012Also interesting to read:

Manual: Hydroponice vegetable production

Hydroponic cultivation is an artificial means of providing plants with support and a reservoir for nutrients and water.

The simplest and oldest method for soilless culture is a vessel of water in which inorganic chemicals are dissolved to supply all of the nutrients that plants require. Often called solution culture or water culture, the method was originally termed hydroponics (i. e., “water working”) by W. F. Gericke in the 1930s. Over the years, hydroponics has developed throughout the world as a commercial means of growing both food and ornamental plants. A growing media is sometimes used in hydroponic systems to provide plant support, and retain some nutrients and water. The growing media is then placed inside plastic bags, slabs or containers.

+ Soilless cultivation VNE (338 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012Also interesting to read:

Manual: Potato production

Potato is an important crop in Vietnam. The main production area is in North-Vietnam, but in the Central Highlands (Lam Dong Province) potato is also an important crop.

Potatoes are a high nutrient value, besides carbohydrates potatoes are also a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibres. In the past potatoes were mainly grown for fresh consumption, but in recent years the potato volume produced for processing has increased. The characteristics of potatoes suitable for fresh consumption and processing vary and this if often related to the potato variety characteristics. The main problem for potato production worldwide is late blight (phytophtora infestans) and this is also in Vietnam the case. In order to come to a successful potato crop many point should be considered and managed and with this leaflet we like to provide some advice and ideas.

+ Potato production VNE (280 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012Also interesting to read:

Manual: Irrigation of vegetable crops

Irrigation is one of the most critical of all production practices. To provide conditions for optimum plant growth it is essential to become familiar with the factors that influence soil moisture.

Plants evaporate which has to be compensated either by rainfall or in an artificial way. Because of storage capacity in the soil, water can be buffered for certain time. The buffer capacity depends on the soil type. Clay soil has a larger storage capacity then sandy. The water storage capacity is also increased by the amount of organic matter in the soil. The water storage capacity for a crop depends on intensity and rooting depth. Enough moisture in the soil is important for plant growth, soil processes (release and transport of minerals) and for soil cultivation.

+ Irrigation VNE (649 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012Also interesting to read:

Manual: Scouting of pests and diseases in crops

Crop scouting is an essential part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM uses field specific information and improved decision making to protect a crop’s yield and quality while minimizing the use of crop protection products. Crop scouting provides field specific information on pest and disease pressure within a crop.

In order to choose the best pest or disease control management option it is very important that crop scouting is done timely and accurately.

  • Timely: for most crops it is recommended to scout the crop at least once per week and more often when favourable conditions occur for the development of certain pests or diseases.
  • Accurately: a pest or disease needs to be identified and the level of the pest or disease present in the field needs to be determined accurately to be able to select the best control strategy.


When implemented successfully crop scouting will reduce the amount of crop protection products used while increasing the yield and quality of a crop.

+ Scouting VNE (338 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012Also interesting to read:

Manual: Greenhouse vegetable production

Vegetable cultivation started in the open field and for a large number of crops is still the preferred option. Especially when comparing financial inputs and outputs.

In some regions or during some seasons it is however difficult to grow certain vegetable crops, due to the climate conditions. In order to still produce these corps “out of the season” protective houses, which protected the crop from the environmental conditions were made. With better quality and production methods for glass and plastic these first proactive houses evaluated to the current moderns greenhouse structures. In the most modern greenhouse structures the climate inside is completely controlled automatic by computers. Greenhouse production in Vietnam and especially in Lam Dong province is expanding fast. First mainly bamboo greenhouses were used, but more and more steel structures are being built currently. In this manual we like to highlight some important point to consider when selecting which greenhouse to build.

+ Cultivation in greenhouse VNE (203 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012

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Banner: Adjuvants to add to crop protection products

The effect of the different types of adjuvants on the performance of crop protection products.

+ Banner VF Adjuvant VN (365 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012

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