Tourists take souvenir photos at the lemon garden of Chavi Garden (Ben Luc district)
Take advantage of potential and strengths
Long An has many traditional occupations that feature agricultural and rural culture and many local products, typically mat weaving, drum making, rice paper making and agricultural products: dragon fruit, lemon, peanuts, wine, Nang Thom Cho Dao rice, printed cakes, sausages, etc. This is the potential and advantage to develop agricultural tourism.
Chavi Garden eco-tourism and experiential learning area belonging to Chanh Viet Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company (Thanh Loi commune, Ben Luc district) has an area of over 40 hectares, and in recent years has become a popular destination for many tourists from near and far, especially those who like to experience and explore agriculture.
Instead of choosing sea or spiritual tourism, Mr. Nguyen Van Trai (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) took his family on a trip to Chavi Garden. Mr. Trai said: “I want my children to experience farming in a real way. However, to give children a safe place to experience, we look for gardeners that produce organically and safely like at Chavi Garden.”
Display area for the province’s OCOP products at Chavi Gaden
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Chanh Viet Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company – Nguyen Van Hien informed: Agricultural products grown at Chavi Garden absolutely do not use pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. We just focus on improving the soil and applying lots of organic fertilizer. This method is learned from the Japanese secret of clean, organic agriculture.
In addition to fresh fruits, Chavi Garden also sells products such as lemon juice, lemon powder, dried lemon peel, orange powder, dragon fruit powder, etc. In particular, Chavi Garden also built a separate area to display, promote and bring the company’s OCOP products closer to visitors near and far.
Chavi Garden (Ben Luc district) regularly welcomes groups to learn about agricultural tourism
In recent years, in order for OCOP products to reach many consumers, especially tourists, the Provincial Agriculture sector has coordinated with relevant sectors and localities to implement many solutions. Among them, the highlight is the booths to display and introduce OCOP products at stopovers. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang (representative of Dong Thap stopover, Thuy Tay commune, Thanh Hoa district) said: “For nearly 3 years, Dong Thap rest stop has displayed and sold local specialties, giving priority to displaying the province’s OCOP products.
The province’s OCOP products are very diverse and have beautiful designs, so they are popular with customers. Therefore, we regularly update new OCOP products for display and business. This not only helps us increase sales and retain customers, but also contributes to promoting the brand and typical products of our hometown of Long An to tourists near and far.”
Dong Thap stopover (Thuy Tay commune, Thanh Hoa district) displays products meeting the province’s OCOP standards to promote local specialties to tourists near and far
On average, Dong Thap stopover welcomes over 700 visitors per day. On Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, it welcome over 1,000 visitors a day. Every month, the Dong Thap stopover continuously imports goods, including province’s OCOP products.
Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai (An Giang province) shared: “I work as a worker in Binh Duong province so I often visit my hometown on holidays. Every time I pass by Long An, I often stop by Dong Thap stopover to eat, rest and buy gifts for relatives. This place sells many regional specialties, so you don’t have to go far to find your favorite dishes. I often buy Tan Long An fermented tofu as gifts for relatives. This is a product that meets OCOP standards but sold at an affordable price, suitable for low-income people.”
Agricultural tourism to “take off”
Agricultural tourism is being implemented by provincial authorities, attracting many establishments and people to participate. However, to strongly develop agricultural tourism commensurate with its potential and advantages, there needs to be a roadmap with effective directions and solutions.
According to Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development – Nguyen Thanh Truyen, recently, there have been a number of agricultural tourism models operating. Most of them are only developed on a small scale, individually and spontaneously. Currently, agricultural tourism not only changes local tourism but also helps the agricultural industry develop. Therefore, the province’s Agriculture sector is actively coordinating with relevant sectors and localities to promote digital transformation in tourism models, increase promotion and attracting entities to participate in.
“In the coming time, the province’s Agriculture sector will increase the organization of delegation to learn experiences from organic agriculture, clean agriculture models, and OCOP production inside and outside the province; Continue to coordinate with relevant industries to orient localities and entities to develop agricultural tourism associated with OCOP products and organic agriculture” – Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truyen said./.
By Staffs – Translated by Q. Thien
Long An online – news.baolongan.vn
