Good Agricultural Practices and EurepGAP Certification for Vietnam's Small Farmer-Based Dragon Fruit Industry.

In September 1999, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Vietnam implemented a new program for the development of vegetables, fruits and flowers for the period of 1999-2010. The main objective of this effort was to raise the value of all horticultural exports to US$ 1 billion by 2010. Of eleven fruits that were given high priority status in the MARD export initiative, dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) was given the highest priority. Dragon fruit has played an important role in small farmer horticulture in Vietnam for about 20 years, mainly as a cash crop for domestic markets.  Serious interest in export markets was initiated by a few enterprising farmer groups around 2000, but export potential has been seriously constrained since most small farmer production techniques in Vietnam did not comply with international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements.  For that reason, two projects implemented by Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined forces and provided technical assistance to a pilot group of small farmers in order to improve access to the lucrative European market where this fruit commands a significant price premium relative to domestic prices and to prices in the nearby China market..  After some initial setbacks, project assistance did result in group EurepGAP (European Retail Producers Good Agricultural Practices) certification for select farmers in late 2006.  Although training on improved agronomic practices was the focus of the project assistance, the two DAI projects also conducted marketing research work in Europe; developed a new national dragon fruit standard; helped select farmers form their own export-based cooperative and packhouse; and provided capacity building activities in SPS awareness, pest risk assessment, and post-harvest handling.