It also raised the cost of our produce beyond what most local consumers were willing to pay. We learned quickly that organic farming was much more demanding than conventional agriculture and required strict production procedures be meticulously followed. To deter pests, Organica had to develop its own cropping strategies to grow plants such as leeks or young garlic alongside other vegetables to prevent the nasty insects from destroying the crops. For the same reason, fruit was also tricky – and mango, she added, was impossible to grow organically. The most difficult vegetables to grow we learned were sweet ones because they attracted a lot of insects. There were no textbooks on how to establish an organic farm in Vietnam when we started our operations and we had to learn every lesson the old-fashioned way, by trial and error, she said.įor instance, she noted that organic plants are much more susceptible to damage from wet weather conditions and that product quality can be ruined even from a heavy rain on the day of harvest. In addition, growers must keep a thorough record of production. “It’s a lot of hard work and one doesn’t see immediate returns,” she quipped, noting it differs substantially from conventional farming requiring much more expertise and investment to be successful.Īll phases of cultivation and harvest must be free of pesticides, chemicals, stimulants, hormones and genetically modified seeds. The company spent its first few years trialling a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and experimenting with differing approaches. She first went into the segment four years ago, when she launched Organica. “It simply isn’t very profitable and probably isn’t a worthwhile investment for most local farmers,” Ms Thao noted. Organic farmer Pham Phuong Thao of Organica Farms has said it is not a realistic business venture for most local farmers.
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