Farmers in Binh Minh District, where sweet potato is the primary crop grown, have traditionally sold their produce domestically. Around 3,500ha to 4,000ha is devoted to growing sweet potatoes, accounting for a half of all cultivated land in the district. Although sales are good, farmers are concerned about price fluctuations in the domestic market.

Huynh Tan Phuc, a sweet potato farmer in Thanh Dong Commune, owns 20 cong (20,000sq.m) of land. He was the first farmer in the district to specialise in growing sweet potatoes.

He has been farming for 25 years on land he inherited from his parents. Average productivity is about six to seven tonnes per cong, according to Phuc, and profit levels can be as much as four times that of rice. He earns around VND120 million per year from growing both sweet-potato and rice.

Each year, after harvesting his rice crop, he sows two varieties of sweet potato in a bid to reap the rewards of an early harvest - the timing of which depends on climate and market price.

He continually strives to increase productivity and reduce costs. After each harvest, he scours the country for the most lucrative sweet potato varieties.

Phuc’s skill and experience as a farmer resulted in his being elected to participate in two international sweet potato conferences in Ha Noi.

Meanwhile, Vinh Long Province’s Management Board of Industrial Zones has licensed a VND4 billion project by Viet Luan enterprise based at Hoa Phu Industrial Zone to export sweet potatoes to South Korea