Royal oranges cost 50,000 VND/fruit and attract customers during Tet

(Baonghean.vn) - Xa Doai orange - a special fruit "for the king" in Nghi Dien commune, Nghi Loc district (Nghe An) has an average price of 50,000 VND - 60,000 VND/fruit and still attracts customers during the Lunar New Year 2017.

A Xa Doai orange tree full of fruit has been paid in advance by traders.

In the specialty orange region of Xa Doai these days, each orange costs from 50,000 - 60,000 VND/fruit, sometimes even up to 80,000 VND/fruit for only 250 grams.

Taking us to visit some households growing Xa Doai oranges, Mr. Pham Khac Chien - Vice Chairman of Nghi Dien Commune People's Committee said that Xa Doai oranges are a special variety of oranges that are delicious and sweet, considered a famous "royal" specialty fruit tree in Nghe An that has been passed down for more than 150 years and can only be grown in one place in Nghi Dien commune.

According to orange growers here, Xa Doai oranges have a smooth, thin, even peel and a mild aroma. The orange flesh is golden yellow, sweet, refreshing, and not sour, a taste rarely found in other orange varieties that is popular with customers. Xa Doai oranges usually bloom in the spring and start to ripen in the 11th and 12th lunar months every year.

Every time Tet approaches, many customers and traders inside and outside Nghe An province go to Xa Doai to "hunt" for oranges to display on the five-fruit tray, as gifts or to eat during Tet. At this time, each orange costs from 50,000 to 60,000 VND, 15,000 to 20,000 VND lower than last year's Tet, but many orange garden owners have no more oranges to sell.

A Xa Doai orange has the lowest price of 50,000 VND/fruit

Mr. Phan Cong Huong's family (63 years old) - one of the households that grows the most Xa Doai oranges in Nghi Dien with an area of ​​6 sao of garden land with 200 orange trees. The orange trees laden with fruit are mostly purchased by traders who come to the garden to deposit to buy the whole tree a month in advance.

“In previous years, near Tet, visitors from Hanoi, Vinh City, and foreign visitors also visited the garden to buy oranges, depositing money to buy oranges in advance as Tet gifts and for worship. This year, the price of oranges is about 15,000 VND/fruit lower, but my family still has no more oranges to sell to customers,” said Mr. Huong.

According to Mr. Huong, Xa Doai oranges are sold by the fruit, not by weight. Each orange weighs about 250 grams, with an average price of 50,000 - 60,000 VND/fruit (equivalent to more than 250,000 VND/kg). Last year's Tet, the orange season was "bumper crop, good price", Mr. Huong's orange garden yielded a harvest of nearly 200 million VND, an income 8-9 times higher than other crops.

Mr. Pham Khac Chien - Vice Chairman of Nghi Dien Commune People's Committee, Nghi Loc District added that although it has been a famous specialty orange variety for a long time, with quite high economic value, the area for growing oranges is currently gradually shrinking due to lack of land and variety degeneration.

“Orange trees bring high economic efficiency but orange growers do not dare to invest heavily because there is no policy to encourage development. In the new rural development planning, we have a policy to convert 100 hectares of rice land to orange growing to plan into a concentrated production area, build a project to preserve and develop Xa Doai oranges,” said Mr. Chien.

Nam Phuc