Ke Sach purple star apple export marks a new milestone

The purple star apple in Ke Sach district in Soc Trang province has continued to be exported to strict markets such as the US and Singapore this year, which is the third time in three consecutive years.

Overcoming the export difficulties caused by the Covid -19 pandemic, Ke Sach's cultivation of purple star apple has achieved a new milestone with a yield of over 156 tons in the crop year 2020-2021.

Currently, star apple trees, mainly the purple kind, are planted in over 1.800 hectares in Ke Sach District, particularly in Xuan Hoa, Trinh Phu, Ba Trinh Communes, around 1.600 hectares of which produce fruits and yield about 48,000 tons per year.

The total area for cultivation in line with the VietGap process is 92.8 hectares, registered by 140 households who are members of cooperatives in star apple-growing areas.

Particularly, the star apple produced by Trinh Phu Agricultural Cooperative is rated 4-star OCOP (One Commune – One Product). In the crop year 2020-2021, the local cooperatives have also supplied nearly 50 tons of high quality star apples to the domestic market.

According to Ngo Tuong Vy, the deputy director of Chanh Thu Fruit Import and Export Co., Ltd., Ke Sach District has the advantages and the largest area of cultivating star apples in the Mekong Delta.

“Due to the decrease in the area cultivating star apple due to salinity and disease, the concerned agencies need to promote the advantages of the temporary cultivating areas, making them become stable material supply areas for export enterprises.”

In the crop year 2020-2021, the export of Ke Sach purple star apple has increased nearly twice as much as the previous crop due to the satisfaction of the quality, appearance, and size requirements of the importers.

In particular, the local farmers have wrapped the fruits with transparent plastic bags with improved quality to help the fruit grow faster and bigger, resulting in higher yield and better shapes.

The transparent plastic bags also help to observe the ripeness of the fruit, create convenience for harvesting, prevent the oriental fruit flies and pesticide residues, besides low cost and high economic efficiency.

However, according to Nguyen Van Thien, Director of Quyet Thang Cooperative in Xuan Hoa Commune, the farmers need to spread the crops, with the technical support of scientists, to prolong harvest time to six months (from November to April of the following year) instead of only four months (from December to March of the following year).

Meanwhile, Ho Van Hoi, Director of Trinh Phu Agricultural Cooperative in Trinh Phu Commune proposed that the businesses need to consult the scientists on the process of preserving the fruit so that they could actively purchase and export a larger output of star apple.