Specialty indigenous products spark the dream of riches

They are mostly indigenous tree varieties such as blood plums in Hoang Su Phi, pears in Dong Van, and Snow Shan tea in the western highlands. This is the result of Resolution No. 17 dated October 10/2021 of the Executive Committee of Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee on agricultural development featuring high quality goods along the value chain in the province in the 2021 - 2025 period.

According to Hoang Hai Ly, Director of Ha Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, after 2 years of implementing Resolution No. 17, the province has taken initial steps to identify the concentrated production areas. Localities have built brands and geographical indications for Snow Shan tea products, seedless persimmons, Gia Dui rice, black cardamom, granting collective brand certification for Hoang Su Phi blood plum and Dong Van pear products.

In particular, the blood plum is an indigenous tree variety developed and expanded in two districts: Hoang Su Phi and Xin Man. Currently, the entire Ha Giang province has approximately 685 ha of blood plums, an increase of 218 ha compared to 2020. The area of plums for harvest is nearly 200 ha, with an output of 838 tons, an increase of nearly 104 tons compared to 2020. Production value is estimated at more than VND 25 billion, an increase of more than VND 10 billion compared to 2020.

Hoang Su Phi district currently has over 400 ha of blood plums, with an average output of roughly 700 tons/crop. The growing area is concentrated in communes with cool climates such as Chien Pho, Thang Tin, Po Lo, Dan Van, Then Chu Phin. Hoang Su Phi blood plum has blood-red skin, a sweet and less sour taste so it is very popular in the market. During the harvest season, Hoang Su Phi blood plums are usually sold for VND 30,000 - 50,000 per kg.

Tai Thi Chum and her family in Sui Thau village, Chien Pho commune (Hoang Su Phi district) have more than 2 ha of blood plum growing areas. “In the past when traffic was underdeveloped, blood plum, a local fruit, was not well known in the market, so it was difficult to sell. When the plums were ripened, we usually collected them to serve the needs of families in the neighborhood,” she said.

In recent years, trade promotion and product consumption connections have been pushed, and the selling price of blood plums has increased, so Tai Thi Chum’s family proactively takes care of the plum garden so that it has better productivity and quality. Thanks to such efforts, in the past 3 years, the 2 ha blood plum garden has brought her family an income of more than VND 50 million/year on average.

Along with the rise of Hoang Su Phi blood plum tree, many specialty indigenous tree varieties also have their growing area expanded in many localities in Ha Giang. The seedless persimmon tree in Yen Minh district, Quan Ba Is a notable example with a total growing area of 768 ha. Pear trees have also experienced an expansion in growing areas in 4 districts of the rocky plateau and 2 western districts, summing up more than 1,300 ha. Snow Shan tea has maintained stable production with a total area of 13,295 ha, concentrated in 43 communes of Bac Quang, Quang Binh, Vi Xuyen, Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man and Ha Giang City certified and geographical indications registered.

Herbs, spices, and specialty rice are also restored and developed by the local Agriculture and Rural Development sector, gradually forming a concentrated commodity production area associated with brand building.

Hoang Hai Ly, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ha Giang province, said the province has directed localities to help people develop raw material areas using indigenous plant varieties and livestock with good genetic resources, investing in intensive farming, and applying scientific and technical advances to improve productivity and product quality.

Ha Giang will continue to attract businesses to invest in the production, processing, and consumption of typical agro-products along the value chain. The main focus is to manage geographical indications and certified collective brands effectively and grant exploitation rights to organizations to enhance the value and competitiveness of products.