Seedling season begins
Along the roads from Mo Cay Bac District to Cho Lach District (Ben Tre Province), farmers can be seen busily preparing seedlings. This is the largest seedling production area in Viet Nam, supplying over 20 million seedlings of various types to the market annually.
According to many farmers, the market for jackfruit, guava, and plum seedlings remains relatively stable this year, while durian seedling prices have dropped sharply.
Tran Thanh Thanh, owner of the Thanh Thanh seedling production facility in Hoa Nghia Commune, Cho Lach District, said: "Currently, only red jackfruit and plum varieties are maintaining stable prices and strong demand, offering good profits for growers. Jackfruit seedlings are priced between 40,000 to 80,000 VND per tree, guava 18,000 to 40,000 VND, plum 30,000 to 90,000 VND, and durian 60,000 to 80,000 VND."
Currently, Ben Tre Province has more than 8,000 households specialising in seedling production, creating jobs for tens of thousands of local workers.
Tran Huu Nghi, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Environment Division of Cho Lach District, noted: "Together with ornamental flower growing, seedling production is a long-standing traditional profession of Cho Lach farmers. Each year, the area for seedling production fluctuates according to changes in plant product demand. Currently, jackfruit and durian remain the main seedling crops of local nurseries."
In 2025, seedling production is forecast to continue growing, especially in new economic zones where demand for fruit tree seedlings such as jackfruit and citrus is increasing. As such, Cho Lach District's seedling development programme will focus mainly on jackfruit and citrus. Additionally, growers are targeting high-value species such as mangosteen, rambutan, longan, and mango.
Pursuing sustainable development
In recent years, Ben Tre's traditional seedling profession has increasingly focused on branding, diversification, and quality to meet the market's growing demands. Some households have formed cooperatives to increase the value of the seedling supply chain. Established in 2016, the Tan Phu Agricultural Service Cooperative in Son Dinh Commune, Cho Lach District, began with seven members and has grown to 38 official members and 187 affiliate producers.
Nguyen Huu Phuoc, a cooperative member, said: "My family produces about 50,000 seedlings annually, with rambutan as the main crop. During peak season, we hire five additional workers to meet delivery deadlines. The cooperative model improves production efficiency and supports better market access. Local irrigation projects to manage salinity and store freshwater have also greatly facilitated seedling production."
The cooperative currently has 50 mother plants certified by Ben Tre's Department of Agriculture and Environment, including rambutan, durian, and jackfruit.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Tan Phu Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: "We support members with input materials and product marketing. The cooperative integrates practical experience in seedling production and helps families improve income sustainably. We stand by our members to resolve difficulties throughout the production process."
Doan Van Danh, Director of the Ben Tre Department of Agriculture and Environment, said: "The province is implementing the national-level project for the development of seedlings and ornamental flowers in Cho Lach with a budget of 85 billion VND. The project aims to build specialised cultivation zones of 300 to 500 hectares within the district's 1,500 hectares of seedling and ornamental flower areas linked to value chains."
To ensure sustainable fruit tree development and quality management, the agricultural sector has implemented the Law on Crop Production in seedling production and distribution. The sector is also working to recognise and manage certified mother plants and orchards to maintain quality plant sources and tightly monitor seedling businesses to ensure market standards.
Since 2019, the Plant Production and Protection Division of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment has piloted a system for tracing seedling origins using smartphones for cooperatives and certified producers.
Ben Tre currently focuses on high-quality seedlings for key fruit products such as green-skin pomelo, rambutan, longan, durian, mangosteen, mango, and lime to support the value chain development and replacement of ageing orchards.
The province continues to select and certify mother plants, evaluate orchards, apply rootstocks suited to climate change and saline intrusion, master disease-free citrus seedling production using micrografting techniques, and maintain the collection of high-quality fruit trees.
