Expect a bountiful Lunar New Year's mandarin orange crop

Busy taking care of the mandarin orange to sell in Tet

The "kingdom" of mandarin oranges went through a period of epidemics that caused hundreds of hectares of the tangerine garden to die from yellow leaves and rotting roots, causing farmers to suffer. The locality and the People's Committee of Dong Thap province are determined to restore the mandarin orange garden because this is a specialty tree with high economic value and serves as fruit in the five-fruit tray during Tet.

Mandarin orange growers are applying a technical process according to the Project on Conservation of Mandarin Orange Garden in Lai Vung District in the period of 2020-2024. There is still more than 1 month left until the Lunar New Year. At this time, gardeners who grow mandarin oranges in Lai Vung district are busy taking care of mandarin oranges gardens to serve the 2023 Lunar New Year market. Although the current area of mandarin orange trees is over 200ha, not as large as before, many gardeners still put high expectations that the mandarin orange crop will give a bountiful harvest this year.

Busy taking care of a 1.5ha wide 15 years old mandarin orange garden, Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, in Long Hung hamlet, Long Hau commune, Lai Vung district, still welcomes us. Mr. Dong laughed and said: In the past few years, the mandarin orange garden has suffered from tree failure and yellow leaves and rotting roots disease, causing tree death ¼ in the garden. Last year, thanks to the timely application of new techniques and the use of organic fertilizers sprayed through the leaves and applied to the ground, the trees recovered well. At the same time, he also used nets around the mandarin orange garden to prevent pests from attacking. Besides, he reduced the use of chemical fertilizers and switched to using biological fertilizers to help plants recover quickly and give much fruit.

In particular, in Mr. Dong's mandarin orange garden this year, the trees started to give more fruits, the fruits were bright, glossy, and round, and only a few other pests and diseases attacked the leaves and fruits. His mandarin orange garden is expected to yield from 3.5-4 tons of fruit and harvest will finish around 25-27 Tet. He will sell it to traders in Ho Chi Minh City for VND45,000 - VND50,000/kg. According to his estimate, this year's sale of mandarin oranges is VND50,000/kg and the yield is over 3.5 tons, his family, deducting all expenses, will profit from VND900 million to VND1 billion.

Mr. Tran Van Tuan, also in Long Hau commune, Lai Vung district has 1.2ha of mandarin oranges. Similarly, he said: Thanks to the application of the technical process according to the Project of Conservation of Mandarin Oranges Garden in Lai Vung District, now, Mr. Tuan's mandarin orange is recovering and developing well and bearing much more fruit compared to last year.

Mr. Tuan said: Like every year, around the 8th lunar month, gardeners must focus on caring and providing nutrition to help fruit meet the standards of taste, color, and ripen at the right time of Tet. This year, the family is very excited because the mandarin orange trees are strong and the yield is expected to double compared to the previous year. Currently, he is performing fruit selection. If the weather is favorable, the fruit yield of the garden can reach about 30-35 tons. 

Gardens of mandarin oranges in Tet season are open for tourists to visit

Since 2015, Mr. Doan Anh Kiet, in Long Hau commune, Lai Vung district has taken advantage of 5 public lands to grow mandarin oranges. He started to open the door to serve tourists who take photos and enjoy the garden. 

Mr. Kiet was the first farmer in Lai Vung district to do garden tourism in this new way because no one had thought of it at that time. However, many gardeners follow when they see that his mandarin orange garden is visited by many tourists on a holiday like Tet.

Mr. Kiet said that every year, thanks to the development of the mandarin orange garden, from the 10th to the 27th of the lunar calendar, he begins to open to welcome thousands of tourists from all over the world to visit and take pictures. His family has an income of several hundred million VND. Besides, he also sells mandarin oranges to serve the Tet fruit market.

In addition to using the mandarin orange trees to serve tourists who visit the garden, gardeners in Lai Vung are even more creative. They put mandarin orange trees in pots to serve as ornamental plants for Tet fruits in homes and offices.

The "old farmer" Luu Van Rang, in Vinh Thoi commune, Lai Vung district, is known as the "father" of the mandarin orange trees by everyone. Mr. Rang was the first farmer who had the idea to convert the mandarin oranges in his garden into Tet trees in the West. The mandarin orange tree is normally tall, with luxuriant branches, but through his skillful hands, it has turned into an ornamental tree only 1-1.5 m high. Mr. Rang is very good when he shortened the shape of the tree, but the mandarin orange fruit is still as big as usual and the taste does not change, with the price from VND3-7 million/pot.

According to Mr. Rang, in order to grow a pot of ornamental mandarin oranges for Tet sale, requires extremely hard care, and high technical skills, especially patience and diligence. According to him, it is necessary to prepare seedlings more than 2 years in advance. Every Tet holiday, hundreds of pots of unique and strange ornamental mandarin oranges have helped Mr. Rang earn hundreds of millions of VND in profit.

Mr. Vo Hoang Cuong, Secretary of the Lai Vung District Party Committee said: In the coming time, the district will focus on developing the agricultural economy in the direction of linkage and safety. The district will also reduce costs, improve quality, increase profits, and maintain the brand name of Lai Vung mandarin oranges. Which, the district will well implement the renovation of the production organization, promoting the link between production and the market. In particular, applying science-technology and increasing the application of high-tech agriculture for mandarin oranges. At the same time, farmers are encouraged to participate in forms of cooperation in the production and consumption of products, forming concentrated production areas with an appropriate scale, and strengthening the training of farmers to implement production processes according to VietGAP standards. Production is associated with traceability according to the growing area code. In addition, calling on businesses inside and outside the district to invest in production and purchase agricultural products for farmers under contracts.

According to Mr. Cuong, at the beginning of January 2023, Lai Vung District Party Committee and the District People's Committee organized the "1st Lai Vung Mandarin Orange Festival". The Festival with the theme of aspiration to rise will take place from 5-8 January 2023. It will honor and introduce the image of mandarin oranges and mandarin orange trees as well as cultural and economic values for mandarin orange products from Lai Vung. Consequently, it will develop tourism associated with local products and create a friendly and hospitable Lai Vung image to attract many people and gain their acknowledgment.

Mr. Huynh Minh Tri, Head of the Department of MARD of Lai Vung district said: The whole Lai Vung district currently has more than 200ha of mandarin orange production area for Tet. In the 2023 Lunar New Year mandarin orange crop, it is expected that the district's mandarin orange output will supply the market with more than 5,000 tons of fruit, double that of the previous year. Currently, the weather is stable and the air is cool to help the mandarin orange tree grow well. In order to help farmers in the district to ensure production, in each Tet mandarin orange crop, the agricultural sector regularly sends officials to visit the garden to promptly give appropriate recommendations in cultivation.

According to Mr. Tri, in particular, the areas planted with mandarin oranges in Lai Vung have been given planting area codes. Besides, the National Office of Intellectual Property granted them the trademark of Hong Lai Vung mandarin oranges with effect in 10 years.