In particular, fruit cultivation has emerged as a major strength, positioning the province as the national leader in fruit-growing area, with more than 88,000 hectares yielding approximately 1.8 million tonnes.
In response to new demands amid international economic integration, Tien Giang has proactively restructured its agricultural sector towards modernisation and sustainability.
Sustainable and integrated growth
Favourable natural conditions, generations of farming experience, and the province’s proactive shift towards high-yield, safe, quality-assured and market-oriented agricultural production have laid the foundation for solid growth in Tien Giang’s fruit sector in recent years.
The total area under fruit cultivation has now surpassed 88,000 hectares, an increase of nearly 6,600 hectares since 2020, with an annual output of around 1.8 million tonnes—up by 353,000 tonnes.
According to Tran Hoang Nhat Nam, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, fruit production areas have increasingly embraced advanced technology, particularly high-tech applications. Farmers are now able to manipulate flowering in mango, durian, dragon fruit, longan, citrus and other crops, providing an advantage in producing off-season fruit, optimising crop cycles and achieving better market prices. Technical innovations, such as organic fertiliser use, intercropping with grass, water-saving irrigation systems, biological pest control, fruit bagging, and GAP-standard farming, are being widely adopted with clear results.
Currently, over 59,000 hectares (69% of the total fruit area) are equipped with spray irrigation systems, with 100% of durian areas using water-saving irrigation. About 18,700 hectares (22%) of fruit are bagged, and nearly 61% of the area uses organic or biological fertilisers.
Tien Giang has also rolled out numerous programmes and projects linked to agricultural restructuring and climate change adaptation. These include a development plan for dragon fruit and durian through 2025, a crop and livestock restructuring plan for areas north of National Highway 1, and three value chain linkage projects for dragon fruit, Hoa Loc mango, and durian for the 2020–2025 period, with a vision to 2030.
Other initiatives include the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme for 2021–2025 and a raw materials development scheme for both domestic consumption and export. These efforts have helped farmers enhance quality, reduce costs, expand markets and achieve more stable incomes.
Boosting Agro-Processing
Under the 11th Provincial Party Congress Resolution (2020–2025), one of Tien Giang’s three strategic breakthroughs is the development of core products and growth-driving regions, closely linked to scientific and technological application in agricultural production, processing and distribution. The province is thus focused on developing the agro-processing industry to add value to its agricultural output.
According to Luu Van Phi, Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, there are currently 14 fruit processing plants in operation with a combined capacity of over 47,000 tonnes per year. These companies are upgrading their facilities and diversifying product lines, not only for export to China, but also to high-end markets such as the EU, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Russia.
In the coming period, Tien Giang aims to implement holistic and effective solutions to maximise local potential and advantages. Key priorities include attracting investment in fruit production aligned with modern, eco-friendly, climate-adaptive and high-tech agricultural models that ensure food security and improve living standards.
By 2030, Tien Giang aims to fully develop a high-tech agricultural sector through the creation of large-scale production areas linked to enterprises and high-tech agricultural zones tailored to key products.
The province plans to establish a 100-hectare high-tech agricultural zone in Diem Hy commune, Chau Thanh district, with production meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, and integrated with research and technological application.
Tien Giang’s vision for 2030 is a modern agricultural sector that supplies premium fruit to both domestic and international markets, especially Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region. The province anticipates reaching 88,600 hectares of fruit cultivation, yielding about 1.85 million tonnes.
Core crops such as durian, dragon fruit, mango, pineapple, green-peel pomelo and jackfruit will be maintained, with an emphasis on quality standards, mechanisation, automation in production, harvesting and post-harvest handling. A key strategy is the development of tightly integrated value chains linking farmers, cooperatives and enterprises, progressively forming stable raw material zones for the processing industry.
Additionally, the province actively encourages farmers to shift to organic and safe farming practices to meet strict export standards, while focusing on traceability, labelling, and compliance with quarantine and food safety regulations. Investment is being sought in post-harvest preservation and processing to retain nutritional value and enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products.
Tien Giang’s fruit industry is increasingly asserting itself as a key growth engine in local agriculture. However, to achieve sustainable development and enhance competitiveness in an era of deep global integration, the province must continue to restructure the sector, apply scientific and technological advances, build strong branding, and organise production around tightly linked value chains.