Where citrus trees do not worry about 'excess products flooding the market'

Changing from quantity to quality

Bac Tan Uyen is considered the "capital" of citrus trees in Binh Duong province. These days, the citrus tree harvest atmosphere here is very bustling. In the context of the current market price of citrus fruits, especially oranges and tangerines, being quite low, thanks to sustainable farming, the products of the Bac Tan Uyen people still have an output with high prices.

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According to citrus growers in Bac Tan Uyen, most fruit trees in general, and citrus trees in particular, are harvested in the fourth quarter of every year. However, with extensive experience and the application of scientific advances in farming, citrus trees in Bac Tan Uyen district can be harvested all year round. In particular, thanks to production according to VietGAP standards, many farms here do not have to worry about 'excess products flooding the market," and prices are good.

This "sweet fruit" comes from the enterprising thinking of many farmers here. They are very active in converting crops, domesticating wasteland, cutting hills to make ditches, directing irrigation water from low areas to high areas, and changing production methods from "quantity" to "quality."

On the road to Hieu Liem commune, an area specializing in growing citrus trees in Bac Tan Uyen district, fruit-laden orange and tangerine gardens run as far as the eye can see, squeezing hillsides with lush green.

At Sol Reatreat Farm, which grows citrus trees in an organic direction, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, the farm owner, said that she inherently did business in the agricultural sector, specializing in providing organic fertilizer to farms. Realizing that Hieu Liem's land is fertile and has good altitude, which is favorable for the development of citrus trees, in 2017, she decided to buy 10 hectares of melaleuca growing land to build a farm.

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"Realizing that the demand for citrus fruits in the summer is very high, I applied the method of letting the trees bear fruits out of season to bring higher profits and economic efficiency. In addition, I apply biological products to production to help the garden grow well and have high fruit quality. This not only helps reduce production costs but also ensures clean products that meet food safety standards. Sol Reatreat's products are always favored by customers," said Ms. Thu.

Not far from there is an organic king orange farm run by Nhan Duc Cooperative. Mr. Lam Thanh Co, Director of the Cooperative, said: In 1982, I set foot on Hieu Liem land; at that time, this area was just a dense wild forest. In 2011, I decided to switch to growing citrus trees. By early 2014, many people asked to work with me after seeing my citrus tree development model as highly effective, so I decided to gather some more like-minded people to establish a cooperative.

Farmers here have taken advantage of water sources from the Dong Nai and Be rivers as well as the high hill land, which is very suitable for growing citrus trees and limits flooding, and have techniques to handle to bear fruits out of season. In particular, thanks to the application of high technology in organic production, in 2018, the Cooperative was recognized and granted the brand and logo of organic oranges and grapefruits by USDA Jarkartan - Netherlands. This has helped the Cooperative expand its consumption market.

"Currently, the average productivity of gardens in the Cooperative has increased to 50 tons/ha. All harvested products are sold under contract at a stable price of VND 30,000/kg, bringing billions of dong in income to cooperative members," Mr. Co shared.

Mr. Mai Duc Quy, Chairman of the Hieu Liem Commune People's Committee, said that in the past, farmers in the commune mainly grew melaleuca trees, and life was very difficult. The pace of life here always moves slowly and evenly, with simplicity mixed with the sadness and quietness of the countryside. "Hieu Liem is now bustling with fruit harvest seasons. Thanks to standard production, citrus trees bring a large income to farmers," Mr. Quy said.

Power from technology

It can be seen that science and technology are the keys to helping many fruit farmers in Bac Tan Uyen district reduce labor costs, improve productivity, and improve product quality, thereby increasing value and promoting the local economy.

To develop citrus trees sustainably, in addition to the advantages of natural conditions, through projects to build models applying intensive farming techniques in the direction of VietGAP, Binh Duong province has supported the development of citrus tree areas and implemented production models according to VietGAP. At the same time, Binh Duong also supports improving farming techniques and has policies to support investment in crop varieties, fertilizers, and pesticides for farmers.

Besides, the province also pays attention to investing in transport, irrigation, electricity grid infrastructure, e-commerce, etc., to develop the production and consumption of fruit trees. In just a short time, the area of citrus trees in Bac Tan Uyen district has increased rapidly, thereby forming citrus tree growing areas with high economic efficiency in communes such as Hieu Liem, Tan Dinh, and Tan My. It can be seen that the positive impact of the policy has helped agriculture in Bac Tan Uyen district increasingly prosper.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Quoc Viet, Head of the Economics Department of Bac Tan Uyen District, shared: Besides the results achieved, the development of citrus trees is still fragmented, requiring a reasonable strategy to develop sustainably. In the coming time, the district will continue to plan high-tech agricultural development areas. Focus on developing the locality's strong agricultural products, including citrus fruits, aiming to build a comprehensive agricultural development in the direction of modernity, sustainability, productivity, quality, efficiency, high competitiveness, and consistence with local agricultural characteristics.

Of which, the district focuses on developing more citrus tree areas in the communes along the Dong Nai and Be rivers and strives in the 2020–2025 period to increase by 30–50% of the area certified to meet VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards compared to the previous period.

To do this, Bac Tan Uyen district continues to promote all resources; synchronously build technical infrastructure; innovate policies; attract investment; innovate and develop forms of production, and develop high-tech application models. Enhance advertising and trade promotion inside and outside the province, and build collective brands of orange, tangerine, pomelo, and key products of the district.

At the same time, the district also encourages developing fruit trees along the value chain; pays attention to investing in developing supporting industries in fields such as fertilizer processing, packaging production, agricultural supplies, and mechanization for agricultural production. Thereby, creating conditions to attract and form businesses that purchase, process, and preserve agricultural products, thereby helping citrus trees develop sustainably.

"The locality continues to implement policies to support citrus tree production according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. Recommend, advise, and guide growers to produce organically, gradually forming organic citrus tree production areas to improve product quality and value and build citrus tree growing areas with sustainable development and safety for the environment," said Mr. Nguyen Hoang Quoc Viet, Head of the Economics Department of Bac Tan Uyen District.