Grapefruit specialty in Ha Dong land

knife-cutting (1) — Grapefruit is usually harvested on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, but this year is a leap year so it ripens earlier.

A precious grapefruit variety that has existed for more than 60 years.

After Typhoon Yagi in 2024, the pomelo area in Ha Dong commune was severely damaged, but the local people quickly replanted it. Fortunately, the remaining pomelo areas this year produced more fruit than in previous years.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thom's family in Lap Le village is a rare household that has basically maintained the area of peach pomelos. This year, her family expects to harvest about 7,000 pomelos, about 2,000 more than last year. Mrs. Thom said: "Thanks to the terrain and soil located along the Thai Binh River with fertile alluvial soil, it is suitable for growing pomelo trees. My family also has experience passed down from our ancestors, so we take good care of the pomelos right from when they flower and pollinate to get the results like today."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam's family in Tien Kieu village has about 8 sao, this year they harvested about 5,000 grapefruits. Mrs. Tam shared: "This year, the yield is lower than every year due to the impact of last year's storm. I hope this year the grapefruit price will be higher than last year."

According to the local people, the peach grapefruit variety has been around for more than 60 years and has made an important contribution to economic development and improving people's lives. Because the peach grapefruit has few seeds, is sweet, has peach-colored segments, has a characteristic light aroma when eaten, and has a high yield, this grapefruit variety has quickly spread throughout the commune.

Many households have cut down trees with no value and switched to growing grapefruit. According to preliminary calculations, the area of old and newly planted grapefruit is about 130 hectares, the largest area is still in Lap Le village with about 90 hectares.

To develop this grapefruit variety, the locality has planned 3 concentrated grapefruit production areas with an area of 80 hectares, of which 40 hectares are granted VietGAP certification, 15 hectares are certified GlobalGAP. The road to the grapefruit garden is also concreted and expanded, convenient for harvesting and transportation.

Brand reach far

knife-cutting (3) — Lap Le grapefruit (Ha Dong commune) has light pink color, few seeds, sweet and cool taste.

Lap Le grapefruit meets 3-star OCOP standards and is selected as a typical product of Thanh Hong commune, now Ha Dong commune. In 2022, this agricultural product will be assessed to meet export standards to the US when 15 hectares meet GlobalGAP standards.

According to many local people, caring for grapefruit is not as difficult as caring for many other varieties of trees. “Except for unavoidable natural disasters, grapefruit trees are usually very healthy and have few pests or diseases. The older the grapefruit tree, the more fruit it produces,” said Mr. Ngo Ba Huong, Director of Thanh Hong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Ha Dong Commune).

After the merger of commune level and provincial level, peach grapefruit became a specialty of Ha Dong (Hai Phong). Therefore, this specialty is not only consumed in the region, Ha Dong peach grapefruit also has the opportunity to follow traders to many provinces and cities. Therefore, Ha Dong people are gradually more aware of preserving the brand, some households also participate in the VietGAP grapefruit growing model, focusing on safe care techniques, ensuring fruit quality.

Every autumn, near the full moon of August, all the gardens of Lap Le village are bright yellow with grapefruit. Therefore, this is also the occasion for many tourists to visit and check-in. Many traders from the city center of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh come to the gardens to buy. In about 15 days, the grapefruit will be harvested in full, but many traders have already ordered the whole garden from the people.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, a trader, said: “Nearly a month ago, I went to see the garden and ordered grapefruit. In about half a month, I will harvest and bring it to wholesale markets to sell. Customers in many places really like peach grapefruit because this type of grapefruit has a strong hometown flavor, unlike other hybrid grapefruit varieties.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Head of the Economic Department of Ha Dong Commune, said that on average, each year, peach grapefruit in Ha Dong produces about 2,200 tons of harvest, with farmers earning about 20 billion VND in profit. The local government encourages people to develop the garden economy in the direction of goods, associated with building brands and expanding the consumption market. Ha Dong peach grapefruit is not only a crop that brings in income but also opens up prospects for developing garden ecotourism, contributing to diversifying agricultural products of Hai Phong city.

MINH NGUYEN

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/dac-san-buoi-dao-tren-vung-dat-ha-dong-520559.html