Farmers from 21 provinces and cities are showcasing their special fruits
at the Southern Fruit Festival 2013, which opened in Ho Chi Minh City
on June 1.
The annual event hosted by the city
aims to introduce to domestic and foreign tourists a variety of
Vietnamese fruits, especially those produced in southern provinces.
It also offers an opportunity for farmers, producers, distributors and
consumers to meet and tighten their relations, thus improving the
values of the Vietnamese fruit brand.
A special
feature of this year’s event is a floating market made of 55 boats that
sell more than 180 kinds of special fruits at prices 20-40 percent lower
than market prices.
They include famous
trademarks such as Hoang Hau dragon in Long An, Cai Mon durian in Ben
Tre, Tan Trieu pomelo in Dong Nai, Vinh Kim seedless guava in Tien
Giang, Dang Van Ro green skin pomelo, Binh Phuoc papaya and Hoa Loc
sweet mango.
Visitors will have a chance to
contemplate 300 alien kinds of fruits which made the 2011 festival set a
record for the most varieties of fruits.
During the
event, the 5th Safe and Delicious Fruit Contest will be held with
more than 700 varieties of 11 kinds of fruits. It aims to encourage
farmers to apply advanced technology to produce high quality varieties
of fruit with the best productivity.
A fruit parade,
art performances from Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of
Korea and Indonesia, fruits depicting graphic arts, gastronomy
arts, folk games and sports activities are also available at the
festival.
Co-hosted by the HCM City Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Suoi Tien Culture Tourism Corporation,
and the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the
event will run until September 2.-VNA