Developing 'Kim Lu orange' brand on the hills

Mr. Truong Quoc Viet (Kim Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa, Quang Binh), is the owner of an orange and pomelo farm with an area of nearly 20 ha in the Kim Lu mountainous area. "My family invests in this area to build and develop the organic brand ‘Kim Lu orange’. We wish to bring health benefits to the community.”

At the beginning of 2018, Mr. Truong Quoc Viet officially leased back the wild hill land of about 10 ha to grow citrus trees. After over 20 years of struggling to make ends meet, he realized that only by sticking with the earth, the homeland to open a new path could he get rich in a sustainable manner.

He asked his co-workers to clear the land and burn the fields together. They cleared all vegetation and dug holes to plant new trees. The citrus variety he chose to bring back originated in Huong Khe (Ha Tinh). “All other crops were discarded to make room for the orange at that time,” said Mr. Truong Quoc Viet.

Thanks to the guidance of an experienced local, in the low-lying hills, Mr. Viet planned to further plant Phuc Trach pomelos and lemon. On the back of the hill and high land grounds he planted oranges following along the terrain of the hill.

Up to the present date, on an area of ​​nearly 20 ha of hills, Mr. Viet has structured an orange area of approximately 5,000 trees, a pomelo orchard of 2,000 roots, and 1,000 lemon trees. All of the areas give out an impression of a promising new crop with much greater production efficiency. "If we make calculations in an average circumstance, the output of the next crop may reach nearly 70 tons of sweet oranges and a batch of approximately 10,000 pomelos. At that time, the dream of billions of dong profits would no longer be a dream. We are very close to that goal.”

Mr. Viet has thought of an idea to build a brand of clean, sweet, and nutritious oranges for himself right from the start which name will associate with the land. “So I named it ‘Kim Lu orange’. After three crops, the name ‘Kim Lu orange’ has reached the ears of consumers in many places.”

To build a brand of clean oranges, Mr. Viet applies organic procedures to farming. He buy fertilizer from the barns around the area, fermented and mixed it with the local soil following a specific ratio. "Doing this allows the roots to get used to the soil, so it's easy to grow and to limit pests and diseases," explained Mr. Viet.

Mr. Viet minimizes the use of pesticides in every oranges, grapefruit and lemons orchard. And instead only uses biological products or folk remedies to prevent and eliminate diseases in the plants, covering them with bags to avoid the impact of pests.

When the oranges are ready for harvest, Mr. Viet hires people to cut the fruit every day, pack it and sell it under the name "Kim Lu orange". Holding such round and juicy oranges in their hands may not be enough to convince people, but when they tried the fruits themselves, the sweet taste and mild aroma can satisfy even the most fastidious consumers.

After only a few harvests, the name "Kim Lu orange" has spread like wildfire. Many people come to buy and call to place orders, which makes Mr. Viet quite busy. He has to call for more than a dozen workers to help with the harvest, processing, boxing and transportation. At the end of the orange and pomelo crop, the amount collected was much more than the initial estimate. "I also leave behind a considerable amount of fruits to give to relatives, friends, and regular customers. Everyone compliments the sweet, fragrant oranges while having peace of mind knowing that the products are organic-qualified products."

On the windy hill, Mr. Viet waved his hand and pointed to the distance: “Next year, I plan to lease another 10 ha to develop the orange area. Production expansion is based on market demand. This is also a chance for me to manage and supervise the process of caring for plants in accordance with clean criteria.”