"With some 755 orchid species, suitable climate... Vietnam is likely to become a major orchid producer in the region [!], according to floral experts of the Ha Noi Agricultural College No. 1.
At present, only a small number of large companies, including foreign-invested ones, cultivate orchids in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat, HCM City and the Mekong Delta province of Dong Nai, with growing area of about 50-60 hectares each. In some other localities, orchids are cultivated at a household scale, with cultivation areas ranging from some hundreds square metres to some thousands square metres, except a dozen households who own one or two hectares. The Viet Nam Institute of Agricultural Genetics and Biotechnology has gained initial success in producing orchid hybrids by a tissue implanting method, thanks to means transferred from Thailand. Some localities such as the mountainous district of Sa Pa in northern Lao Cai Province and the central Phu Yen Province have taken initial steps in surveying and researching orchid cultivation methods and working out orchid production processes. According to Nguyen Thi Diem, Director of the Centre for Technological Application and Transfer under the Phu Yen's Department for Science and Technology, her department is actively carrying out a project on collecting and building an orchid garden in an area of some 5,000 square metres in Hoa Quang Commune, Phu Hoa District. Project officers have so far collected nearly 50 orchid varieties [species ?] and have also imported more than 100 others from abroad. Having many valuable and rare varieties in the same locality, this pilot orchid garden would not only be a tourist destination, but also move towards supplying orchids for the market through tissue implanting and cultivation. The Centre for plant breeds and cultivational technology in Phu Yen Province has also gained initial success in implanting orchid tissues, growing about 300,000-500,000 young orchids of common species such as Phalarnopsis Manii Reichb. F. [mannii Rchb.f.] and Oncidium [?]. In order to meet local demand and to export orchids to the world market, the floral industry in Vietnam has to pay close attention to such issues as breed creation, production technology, cultivation, post-harvest technology, packing, quarantine regulations and investment in infrastructure expansion. According to experts, orchid cultivation will bring about considerable incomes for farmers. Statistics by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that farmers could earn up between VND500mil to 1bil (US$31,250 to 62,500) for each hectare of farmland if they cultivate orchid species [hybrids ?] of Dendrobium or Mokara... Vietnam, at present, spends billions of VND to import orchids from neighbouring countries to meet its people's demand. HCM City alone in 2003 earned a revenue of some VND200-300bil from orchid and ornamental plant trading. The figure increased to VND400bil in the first quarter of 2006, while orchid and ornamental plant trading households rose to 1,000 from 264 in 2003." article URL : http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2007/02/665375/ ************ Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
