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Category: Crops

Looking back on a successful first potato season

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

The first potato production season within the Dutch funded project “Growing out of poverty with potato” has been completed. During this first seasons potato trials, potato field days, farmer trainings and market research activities have been implemented. The key first outcomes are shared below.

Potato trials

In order to have higher yields and to produce higher quality potato varieties farmers need to have access to good quality potato seeds. The first step to enable this is the registration of potato varieties in Vietnam before commercial trade of these varieties is allowed in Vietnam. In cooperation with Vietnamese institutes potato trials in North-Vietnam and the Central Highlands are established to test and evaluate five new potato varieties and in order to acquire the registration of these varieties.

The trial results of this year trial are positive: all new varieties have higher yield and better quality in comparison with the standard potato varieties included in the trials. The registration of the five new potato varieties is expected to be completed in 2016.

Potato field days

To share the trial results with authorities (MARD), potato traders and farmers several potato field days are organised. The feedback of the participant during the field days was positive; the new potato varieties are appreciated due to its high yield and quality. Farmers perceived that the new varieties taste and smell better than the standard variety. Consumer tests will identify whether consumers have the same feedback as farmers regarding the new potato varieties. Farmers and potato traders expressed their interest to test the new potato varieties and to cooperate with project to develop potato production in Vietnam.

Farmer training and extension

Vietnamese training materials have been developed to train Vietnamese farmers in potato production. The training consists of 3 modules which covers the aggregate from seed potato variety selection o to storage of the harvested potatoes. Over 350 farmers (69% female) are trained during the potato season in the 3 training modules. The training was implemented in 4 provinces (Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Bac Giang and Bac Ninh) in North-Vietnam. Later this year farmer training in the central highlands (Lam Dong province) will start.

Market research activities

The general objective of the marketing activities is to grow the potato consumption in Vietnam beyond fries and crisp and increase the preference towards new high quality table potato cultivars in Vietnam. The research activities in the first phase included an extensive baseline market study, covering the main consumption hubs in Vietnam, Hanoi and HCMC. Results showed that, although consumers in Vietnam show a positive attitude towards potato consumption, they are rather unaware of the nutritional benefits of potato, the versatility in modes of preparation of potato and the variation in potato quality based on variety characteristics.

60% of consumers in urban Hanoi and HCMC believe that white rice is equally or more nutritious than potato

The inclusion of potato in the diet is considered important in addressing nutrient deficiency among younger children and pregnant women, in particular in relation to iron deficiencies. Sector interventions are thus not limited to potato cultivation, but include focus groups, household panels and sensory consumer tests to obtain in-depth insights in table potato consumption and practices in Vietnam.
All combined activities will inform the selection of most potential cultivars for the Vietnamese market, as well as the development of a potato awareness campaign. To measure the effectiveness of the marketing communication interventions the survey applied in the baseline research will be repeated on an annual basis.

Summary

Fresh Studio can look back on a successful first potato season in which a strong basis for the next 4 years has been created to vitalise the Vietnamese potato sector.

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Publication date: May 2015

This development is a result of the collaboration with project:

Vitalising the Vietnamese potato sector

Fresh Studio was contracted to develop a Globalgap certified smallholder pangasius farmer group in Tra Vinh Province …

Round Table ‘Developing Myanmar’s Vegetable Sector’

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

Fresh Studio’s Director Marketing and Business development, Sigrid Wertheim-Heck, delivered a keynote presentation during the round table meeting ‘Developing Myanmar’s Vegetable Sector’ in Nay Pyi Taw.

On the 20th of November the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and the Netherlands Embassy in cooperation with Mercy Corps and East-West Seed hosted a Round Table Meeting focusing on the development of Myanmar’s Vegetable Sector in Nay Pyi Taw. The objective of the meeting was for stakeholders from government, private sector and development agencies to jointly reach consensus on the main steps that will be necessary for realizing the growth potential in Myanmar’s vegetable sector and begin planning for their implementation.

Fresh Studio’s Director Marketing and Business Development was invited to give a keynote presentation on Fresh Studio’s experiences in vegetable sector development in Vietnam.

Download the presentation:
‘Developing Myanmar’s Vegetable Sector’
Sigrid Wertheim-Heck, 20 Nov 2014
G2G Round table, Nay Pyi TawDownload

“It was an honor to present Fresh Studio experiences from Vietnam at the round table and inspiring to join the open and constructive discussions with counter parts in Myanmar. The attendance was robust atmosphere very constructive. Conclusion: a lot needs to be done, but first steps are being made in collective addressing the diversity in topics. The organizers will share the outcomes and recommendations for concrete action shortly.”

Participants of the round table Meeting focusing on the development of Myanmar’s Vegetable Sector

Training Supply Chain Management: understand and manage your supply chain

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

As part of the CBI Food Ingredients Export Coaching Program (ECP), Fresh Studio provided a two-day workshop on Supply Chain Management (SCM) in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for pre-selected high potential food ingredient business ranging from honey, spices to tea.

The aim of the SCM workshop was threefold:

  1. to create awareness of the importance of SCM in order to become successful in the EU market
  2. to increase the knowledge of workshop participants on supply chain management
  3. strengthen the capacity on the requirements of European markets.

The workshop was in collaboration with Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) and the Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).

During the workshop Mr. Siebe van Wijk (Managing Director of Fresh Studio) provided insights in the flows, forces, dynamics, evolutionary path and the key functional processes in SCM. The subjects were illustrated with different case studies in the field.

Important message of the presentation was: “Companies who want to export to EU market need to understand their chain and they should be able to control it.”

 “This workshop was a good chance for me to learn about supply chain and value chain methodically. The games and case studies during the course were very meaningful and applicable. I will bring back and apply these useful knowledge to my company”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Loan – BaseaFood Hochiminh Branch.

In order to adapt the information and to improve the SCM of each participating business the flow of information was interspersed with (group) assignments. By analyzing their own supply chain, companies were challenged to identify and share their strong and weak points and to turn issues into working solutions.

Participants analyzing their supply chain during the workshop in HCMC

Besides insights in SCM, Mr. Richard de Boer (Managing director of Control Union) provided information about his company services: certification, inspection and warehouse monitoring services. A much appreciate presentation for the food ingredient businesses, since quality is a frequent issue and the standards of the EU market for agricultural products is high.

The workshop was an effective platform for the food ingredient businesses to gain knowledge about SCM, to make the issues in the chain more transparent and to learn from each other.

“I hope that the knowledge I gained in these 2 days will help my company to become successful in the CBI program and to penetrate the EU market”

Mr. Bien, Hagimex JSC.

Vietnamese vegetable growth in modern greenhouses

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

Vietnams’ population consists of approximately 90 million people. Vegetables play an important role in their daily meals. Within the pilot-project Horti Dalat, Dutch companies are supporting the Vietnamese horti-sector with the development of modern greenhouses vegetables production.

The rapid growth of the Vietnamese population and pace and scope of retail development results in a high demand for quality products, food safety, stable supply and sustainable vegetable production.

In the Dutch article ‘Vietnamese groente gaat de kas in’, Flip van Koesveld and Huub Schepers of Applied Plant Reseach (Wageningen UR) discuss the vegetable production transition in Vietnam; from ‘outside’ to ‘inside’. For Vietnamese farmers it is smart choice to produce vegetable in greenhouses: “Shortly there are 3 reasons: less plant diseases, a reduced amount of fertilizer and higher yields. Greenhouses for vegetable production keep many issues ‘outside’ while the yield is increasing”.

Fresh Studio is, according to Van Koesveld, an important player in the chain. The company supports and creates breakthrough innovative interventions in the Asian food sector. “Fresh Studio plays a central role. We can give input how Vietnamese farmers should produce vegetables, but we do not speak their languages. For this, you need a strong local partner. One who can train farmers and who continues the project after finishing in 2016.”

+ Read the complete article (Language: Dutch)

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Source: Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland

Publication date: July 2014

Study Tour: Dairy Sector of India

Posted on by Luyen

Fresh Studio organized for its client a study tour to India, the largest milk producer of the world. The aim of the tour was to investigate the dairy market of India in order to identify opportunities for development of the dairy sector in Vietnam.

India has a complex dairy sector where approximately 20% of the milk production is processed through the formal sector. Before 1970, India was a milk deficient country. Due to the largest dairy development program in the world – Operation Flood – it became world’s largest milk producer (both cow and buffalo milk). Despite the success of Operation Flood, the average milk production per cow is still one of the lowest in the world. Fresh Studio organized the study tour in order to learn from the experiences of Operation Flood and to investigate more recent developments in this emerging dairy market to discover opportunities for improving the Vietnamese dairy sector. Focus of the study tour was on contract model schemes, technical extension and access to finance for smallholder farmers.

The study tour visited AMUL; the key example (and model) of Operation Flood’s development. AMUL started as a village cooperative in 1945, but currently processes milk from 3.2 million farmers throughout India and is the largest dairy processor of Asia.
 

quote-iconThe study tour provided useful insights for the Vietnamese dairy sector.


Also processors with different contract models were visited in Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. For example, in Punjab over 85% of milk is processed through formal channels. The farms are much larger and milk production per cow is much higher compared to other provinces in India.


Next to dairy processors, several governmental institutions that focus on extension to smallholder dairy farmers were visited in Gujarat, Punjab and Hyderabad.

The study tour provided useful insights for the Vietnamese dairy sector into different models of dairy processors, how smallholder farmers are technically as well as financially assisted to expand their business and how extension models can be applied in different situations.

Gain access to daily wholesale prices to support your business or research

Posted on by Luyen

Fresh Studio provides access to its daily vegetable wholesale prices collected from 2007 onwards. This database enables businesses and researchers to build a solid foundation to support benchmarks, business plans, value chain analyses and market research.

Since 2007, Fresh Studio collects the daily wholesale prices of over 40 different types of vegetables with different varieties and origins and from several markets in North Vietnam. 

 

The availability of these daily vegetable prices enables retailers, trade companies, distributors and researchers to optimize their benchmark and improve their (value chain) business intelligence.

 

Example: price setting
While vegetable wholesale prices may fluctuate quite significantly from day-to-day, modern sales channels frequently work with weekly vegetable prices. Access to vegetable wholesale prices enables them to anticipate on market prices and determine a competitive price point.

chart-1

Example: vegetable market analysis

Vegetable price trends are not available online and more generic inflation indicators do not necessarily provide insights in (specific) vegetable price developments. Access to daily vegetable wholesale prices give researchers, business analysts and policy makers a solid foundation for evaluating price developments.

 

chart-2

 

How to gain access?

 

1) Fresh Studio offers an annual subscription.

This subscription includes a monthly update of all vegetable wholesale prices (raw data) of the previous month:

 

Annual subscription

Data

Vegetables

Price 2014

A-1

Daily

> 40 vegetables

350 USD

A-2

Weekly

> 40 vegetables

300 USD

A-3

Monthly

> 40 vegetables

250 USD

 

2) Fresh Studio offers historical data packages.

These packages contain all daily vegetable prices (raw data) for one year (01 January to 31 December):

  

Package

 Year

Data

Vegetables

Price 2014

H-13

2013

Daily

> 40 vegetables

400 USD

H-12

2012

Daily

> 40 vegetables

400 USD

H-11

2011

Daily

> 40 vegetables

400 USD

H-10

2010

Daily

> 40 vegetables

400 USD

H-09

2009

Daily

25 vegetables

250 USD

H-08

2008

Daily

25 vegetables

250 USD

H-07

2007*

Daily

25 vegetables

125 USD For free**

 

*Price data only available from July 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007
**For free, if bought together with H-08 and H-09

 

Customized packages are available upon request. Do you want to subscribe or are you interested in more information about the wholesale price database? Please contact us contact@freshstudio.vn.

Manual: Fertilizer application

Posted on by Luyen

In modern agriculture systems fertilizers are applied to provide the plants with sufficient nutrients to obtain an optimal yield.

If no fertilizer or manure is applied then the yield results are a lot lower. Looking at the total production costs of a crop will probably show that the costs of fertilizers are in the top 3 of all costs items. Over application of fertilizers will result in wastage of money and can also have negative effects on the environment, for example pollution of ground water.

 

+ Fertilizer application VNE (933 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Language: Vietnamese

Publication date: April 2012

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