The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is looking to bring back the
popularity of the local specialty Laba banana, once reserved for only
the royalty and French colonialists.
First introduced in
the Laba-Phu Son area (now Duc Trong and Lam Ha districts) in the early
1920s, Laba banana was known for its special taste and flavour.
However, due to widespread cultivation and a lack of investment, the
banana strain’s yield and fruit quality have been declining.
To rescue the plant’s fame, in 2007, the Duc Trong district Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development launched a research project on
reviving and developing Laba banana.
As a result, the
provincial Department of Science and Technology has recently awarded a
trademark certificate to the fruit, paving the way for banana growers
and businesses to expand domestic consumption and export of Laba
bananas.
Laba is now grown in over 250 hectares, mostly in Duc Trong, Don Duong and Lam Ha districts.
Besides the domestic market, the banana has been exported to several countries.
Le Sy Cong, Director of the Laba Lam Dong Co., Ltd., said last year his
company shipped about 500 tonnes of Laba banana to Australia and
China. Earlier this year, some Japanese partners expressed their
interest in this product.
He also emphasised the need
to expand the growing area of Laba and improve the quality of the banana
in order to meet the increasing demands.-VNA