The high prices dragon fruit fetches have helped several farmers in the Plain of Reeds become rich in recent years. (Photo: VNA/VNS) Tien Giang (VNS/VNA) – The MekongDelta province of Tien Giang is expanding its specialised growing zone fordragon fruit, a fruit that has helped several local farmers become rich.
According to Huynh Van Buon, head of theagricultural and rural development bureau of Tan Phuoc district, the districthas been growing the fruit for only a few years, but has nearly 600ha under thefruit, mainly red-flesh dragon fruit.
Around 350ha of the latest crop have beenharvested, yielding 7,000 tonnes, he said.
The communes with the largest areas planned noware Tan Lap I with 172ha, Thanh Tan (120ha), Thanh My (60ha), and Tan Hoa Dong(40ha).
Nguyen Van Ro, Chairman of the Thanh TanPeople’s Committee, said the fruit has become his once sleepy commune’s keyeconomic product thanks to its economic value and demand in foreign markets. Farmersgrowing the fruit can now rely on it for their main income, he added.
One such farmer is Phan Van Khanh, who owns a1.5ha red-flesh dragon fruit orchard. It produces 30 tonnes of the fruit perhectare per season.
Thus, this year he has earned around 1 billionVND (44,000 USD) from selling 30 tonnes of the fruit at an average price of 30,000VND per kilogramme. He has become rich thanks to the fruit.
Vo Van Dung of Thanh Hoa commune, Tan Phuoc district,also has a 1.5ha orchard. Last year, he harvested 40 tonnes and earned 1.2billion VND as the fruit’s price soared to 46,000 VND per kilo. He said thefruit can help locals become rich.
Cat Tuong Company, an agricultural processingfirm in Tan Phuoc, grows red-flesh dragon fruit to global good agriculturalpractices (GAP) standards on 100ha due to the high yields and export demand.
Buon said the soil of the Plain of Reeds region(which spans Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap provinces) is extremely suitablefor growing dragon fruit.
He said to increase productivity and quality forexport, the district would send technical staff to train farmers in theapplication of global GAP standards.
Besides, the district has helped farmersestablish cooperatives and farmers groups to build a value chain for dragonfruit, he said.
The fruit has dominated Vietnamese fruit exportsthis year with shipments being worth 427 million USD in the first four months,a year-on-year increase of 9 percent and accounting for 32 per cent of allvegetable and fruit exports.
The value was nearly four times that of the nexttwo below it – longan (121 million USD) and mango (104 million USD).-VNS/VNA
VNA
