Ha Tinh expands organic orange area

This year's orange crop is the second year that Mr. Doan Quoc Hoai's 3-hectare orange garden in Quang Tho village 1, Vu Quang commune, Ha Tinh province has achieved organic certification. What makes Mr. Hoai most excited is that it not only creates safe, clean products, but also brings outstanding economic efficiency. If previously, the yield was only about 15 tons/ha, now it has increased to nearly 20 tons/ha; the selling price is 5-10% higher, while input costs have decreased thanks to the complete reduction of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

According to Mr. Hoai, to achieve organic certification, the cultivation process is strictly controlled: the soil is improved with composted manure, biological products and agricultural by-products; weeds are treated manually, instead of using herbicides; pests are prevented with biological traps. Thanks to that, the plants are healthy, have few pests, sweet fruit, and bright skin.

Mr. Doan Quoc Hoai in Quang Tho village 1, Vu Quang commune takes care of his family's organic orange garden.

After many years of working with orange hills, Mr. Dinh Lam Hau in Mai Hoa commune, Ha Tinh province, determined that if he wanted to do long-term agriculture, he had to follow the direction of clean production, both protecting the health of growers and creating safe products for consumers. From that awareness, with more than 2 hectares of oranges, in 2015, he began to convert the farming process according to VietGAP standards, gradually eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, he used composted manure, biological products, and natural herbs to prevent pests, and at the same time composted organic waste and weeds to regenerate nutrients for the soil. By 2021, he boldly switched completely to organic production. After nearly 3 years of perseverance, by the end of 2023, Mr. Hau's orange garden had achieved organic certification. The good news is that the orange trees are growing healthily, and the quality of the oranges is better.

Covering with curtains and using light bulbs to repel insects in organic orange gardens in Thuong Duc and Vu Quang communes

Identifying organic agricultural production as not only an inevitable trend but also an important solution to build a green, sustainable agriculture, Ha Tinh has soon set a goal of developing agriculture in a safe, environmentally friendly direction. Implementing that orientation, the province has approved the "Organic Agricultural Development Project of Ha Tinh Province for the period 2024 - 2030", aiming to have 2,500 hectares of organic-standard cultivated land by 2030. The project is implemented synchronously, with a clear roadmap, associated with changing awareness and changing farmers' production practices from traditional farming to ecological farming, environmentally friendly.

Along with that, localities in the province have issued many incentive policies, technical support, preferential loans, built model models and organic product consumption chains, helping people feel secure in investing and expanding production scale. Particularly for orange trees, one of the main crops of Ha Tinh, up to now, the whole province has nearly 44 hectares of oranges with valid organic certification and hundreds of hectares are being cultivated in an organic direction, mainly concentrated in famous orange growing areas such as Vu Quang, Mai Hoa, Thuong Duc, Dong Loc, Huong Do...

Many orange gardens become places of experience for students.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Ngoc - Director of the Agricultural Extension Center, Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ha Tinh added: “Through the implementation process, organic production models have strictly followed the process of not using pesticides, chemical fertilizers, growth stimulants or genetically modified varieties, instead using biological fertilizers, microbial products, natural and circular farming methods. Thanks to that, agricultural land has been improved, water sources have been protected, biodiversity in the garden has been restored, helping plants grow stably, reducing pests and diseases, and significantly improving the quality of agricultural products. Currently, the specialized sector is closely following the "Organic Agriculture Development Project of Ha Tinh Province for the period 2024 - 2030" to expand the area, both increasing economic value and building the image of modern Ha Tinh farmers, responsible for the environment and community health".

From the effective organic orange production models, the professional sector and local authorities continue to encourage people to expand production. With the efforts of producers in improving quality and affirming the brand, Ha Tinh oranges produced according to organic processes will easily access demanding markets and be favored by a large number of consumers.