In order to meet the demand of large-scale concentrated production, the province has formed a number of longan cooperative groups. Production of member households is carried out according to a general process, contributing to high quality, uniformity of longan appearance and convenience in consumption....

 Mr. Nguyen Van The, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mien Thiet longan cooperative, Ham Tu Commune (Khoai Chau district) said: “Though the cooperative is newly established in early 2016, it has taken specific steps to solve difficulties for members. Currently, the cooperative has 27 members with the total area of more than 40 hectares of longan growing under VietGap process, of which 22 ha have been granted VietGap certificates.

In addition, cooperatives also purchase and consume qualified longans from households inside and outside the commune. This year, the cooperative signed a contract with 50 agents selling clean fruits to consume members' longans with an output of about 200 tons.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuong, a member of Mien Thiet longan cooperative, before the cooperative was established, late -ripening Mien Thiet longan was not widely known. Then, the product was only consumed in Hanoi and some northern provinces.  After harvesting, product price was often pressed by traders.

To deal with this situation, a number of farmers growing longans in Ham Tu established a cooperative group, today known as Mien Thiet Cooperative in order to find new directions in supporting each other in production process of intensive cultivation which satisfies criteria of food hygiene and safety and trademark creation and produces late-ripening longans to introduce to the majority of consumers.

According to the members of Mien Thiet longan cooperative, since longan trees are grown according to VietGap process, the quality and appearance of late-ripening longan products have been constantly improved. "The news runs like wild fire", many traders actively come to buy longan of cooperatives with the higher price by VND 3,000 to 5,000 per kilo compared to free-market sales. Thus, members of cooperatives have income of VND 400 million to 450 million per ha per year.

With the motto of putting consumers' benefits and health first, right from its inception (2006), Hong Nam longan cooperative (Hung Yen city) has applied a strict production process from the stages of cutting leaves, creating canopy and fertilizing which are suitable for each period of trees to watering to keep the moisture and taking care to ensure good flowering, fruiting and not to lose young fruits.

Mr. Dang Van Xay, Director of the Cooperative said that currently, members of the Cooperative cultivate 12 hectares of all kinds of longan. According to evaluation, this year’s weather is favorable; the expected label output is estimated at 120-130 tons, up 30 - 40% compared to the previous year.

In addition to enterprises who are frequent customers that purchase clean fruits in provinces and cities such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Thua Thien Hue and Ho Chi Minh City, recently, the cooperative has harvested more than 1 ton of early-ripening longan, sold to supermarkets and safe food stores with the selling price of two times higher than the free market.

In this year’s longan crop, Hong Nam longan cooperative has also expanded its market to provinces of Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa and Da Nang cities with a consumption of about 30 tons.

Mr. Xay said that in order to create prestige and brand for longan products, along with regularly renovating and replacing with good quality varieties, Management Board of the cooperative always monitors and requests full record of the production under VietGap process, which was built by the cooperative from the beginning of the crop. Thus, most of the harvested products meet the demand of the domestic market and export market. 100% of products are labeled cooperatives’ stamps before being exported and are inspected, controlled and accessible to the origin.

According to statistics, currently, there are 9 cooperatives in the province selling longan products. In fact, when participating in cooperatives, growers are supported with training on production techniques according to a general technical process, ensuring food safety and hygiene;thus, the productivity and product quality are improved. In addition, many cooperatives also provide labels, packages for members, and support them with product consumption at a higher price than the free market.

However, the consumption of longan in cooperatives still faces many difficulties. The main reasons are the area of ​​longan is small, fragmented, and the quality is not even. The consumption volume of longan cooperatives is still modest compared to the harvested output.