Success Story: Cocoa Entrepreneur Grows his Business
Ben Tre Province, Vietnam
Mr. Dang Van Sanh lives in Cho Lach District, Ben Tre Province. He was a fruit farmer for many years before establishing a fruit tree nursery business. However, because of the popularity of such businesses in his district, competition was high and it was difficult to break into the market. In 2003, Mr. Sanh and his friend Tu Thanh, also a fruit tree nursery owner, went to Nong Lam University to enquire about cocoa.
Because of Mr. Sanh’s experience with propagating fruit trees, he was quickly able to learn the techniques to setup a cocoa budwood garden. With assistance from the university, he learned the grafting technique and established a budwood garden with 14 commercial clones.
He has since adapted the technique to local conditions. He raises rootstock in small plastic bags and uses a one-node scion to graft below the cotyledon. These newly grafted seedlings are then placed in a tunnel covered by transparent plastic to maintain high humidity. After one month, he transfers the successfully grafted seedlings to larger bags. 
Mr. Sanh has been able to deliver his product over long distances at a reasonable price. His operation is one of few with a nursery and budwood garden with commercial clones. In 2004, when the SUCCESS Alliance began working in Ben Tre Province, Mr. Sanh became one of the main suppliers of grafted seedlings to the project.
Over time, he has built a reputation for supplying quality grafted seedlings using budwood from recommended clones. In addition to supplying farmers in Ben Tre, Mr. Sanh delivers seedlings to Tieng Giang, Binh Phuoc, Dak Lak and Lam Dong Provinces. “My life is easier when I engage in producing planting materials of this new crop,” says Mr. Sanh.
WCF thanks Nong Lam University for contributing this story.