Ninh Thuan grapes: Small tree, big contribution

The fruit that provides the greatest income in the "harsh land"

Ninh Thuan is a province with a very harsh climate, with little rain, a lot of sunshine and wind. This land is often considered "the most unique sandy grassland in Southeast Asia". With nearly 2,900 hours of sunlight per year, this locality has the highest average number of sunny hours in the country. But the harshness of this land is an advantage for the development of peculiar crops grapes.

For generations, income from grapes has brought the people of Ninh Thuan a prosperous life. Grapes occupy an important position in the province's cultivation industry. Its position is shown by the attachment with the province's name - "Ninh Thuan grape".

According to the Ninh Thuan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, grapevines have been identified by the provincial agricultural sector as one of the key crops in the process of agricultural economic development. Although the grape growing area only accounts for 3 - 3.5% of the total planted area in Ninh Thuan, the annual production value reaches 19 - 20% of the total production value of the industry. Grapes are considered to be the most economically valuable tree among crops grown in the province, bringing a great source of income for farmers.

In 2022, the grape growing area in Ninh Thuan was nearly 1,053 ha, with the area for harvesting being more than 1,000 ha, the yield is 25.6 tons/ha, and the output is over 25,700 tons/year.

By March 2023, the area of vines in Ninh Thuan province increased slightly to 1,061ha, and the area for harvesting also increased to over 1,030 ha. A grape growing area in Ninh Thuan is concentrated in Ninh Phuoc, Ninh Hai, Ninh Son, Thuan Nam and Phan Rang - Thap Cham districts. In Ninh Thuan, almost every house grows grapes, on average, each household grows 0.1 - 3 ha.

In the late 1990s, if planting 1ha of grapes with proper care, households would have an income of about VND 200-300 million/year. But now, each ha of land for growing grapes can give an average income of VND 600 million - 2.5 billion/crop, depending on when it is harvested and depending on the grape variety.

If farmers grow red grapes (Red Cardinal) or NH01-48 varieties, after deducting costs, the profit can reach VND 470 - 730 million/ha/crop. Planting new grape varieties NH01-152, and NH04-102 (black finger grape) is more profitable, reaching VND 1.28 - 2.17 billion/ha/crop.

“In recent years, the locality has been supplemented with new grape varieties with high yield and quality. In addition, farmers apply technical advances and bring high technology into production. Areas of grapes grown according to VietGAP standards, grown in greenhouses using an economical watering system, biological preparations, and integrated pest management always gives a higher income than the traditional grape growing areas," Mr. Dang Kim Cuong, Director of Ninh Thuan Department of Agriculture and Rural Developmentsaid.

Ninh Thuan grapes - "export on the spot"

Currently, the average output of grapes in Ninh Thuan is about 26,000 tons of fresh grapes each year. In addition, there are also products processed from grapes such as apricot kernels, dried grapes, dried grapes, grape syrup, grape wine, grape juice,..., which have penetrated the consumption market outside the province. They are present at major supermarkets across the country such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City...

The consumption system consists of a network of wholesalers, agents, and shops spanning neighbouring provinces so that the amount of grapes are widely supplied throughout the markets. Currently, thanks to the development of e-commerce, Ninh Thuan grapes are able to sell retail on websites and forums, under the condition that Ninh Thuan grape products are increasingly interesting to consumers.

Ninh Thuan red grapes are currently priced at VND 40,000 - 50,000/kg, NH01-48 green grapes are priced from VND 70,000 - 80,000/kg, NH01-152 pink grapes are priced from VND 100,000 to 120,000/kg, black finger grapes are priced VND 250,000/kg, black currants are priced at VND 200,000/kg, peony grapes are priced at VND 350,000/kg.

In order to expand the output for vines, Ninh Thuan strengthens the management of geographical indications, and certification marks, and issues smart electronic stamps to trace the origin of Ninh Thuan grapes; mobilizes and supports establishments to apply scientific and technical advances to production, apply post-harvest preservation technology transferred by the Institute of Agriculture Engineering and Technology After Harvest (MARD). The province also invests in a wine-making system, grape syrup, drying line and cold storage to improve the quality and value of Ninh Thuan grapes.

In addition to implementing synchronous solutions to promote grape growing and processing of grape products in a modern and sustainable manner, Ninh Thuan also promotes the development of tours to attract visitors to the grape products in the garden. Since then, promoting and introducing products from grapes, opening up the direction of "exporting grapes on the spot" with specific local products.

The model of grape growing in combination with the ecotourism of Thai An Agricultural Cooperative, Ba Moi grape farm, and Hoang Yen grape farm attract a large number of tourists to Ninh Thuan for the experience.

Mr. Dang Kim Cuong, Director of the Ninh Thuan Department of MARD, said: "With 5 geographical areas including Phuoc Dan town, Phuoc Thuan commune, Phuoc Son commune, Phuoc Huu commune in Ninh Phuoc district and Phuoc Nam commune in Thuan Nam district have received certification for 'Ninh Thuan Grapes'. Ninh Thuan Apple Grape Association has built a website to find partners to exchange, trade and export Ninh Thuan grape products to improve grape production and business activities in the province. They aim to increase grape export activities, and develop the grape industry in the context of world integration".