Mountain cucumber and ripe persimmon specialties in the Ky Son highlands in season

Many potential OCOP specialties

In the border district of Ky Son, entering the end of August and beginning of September every year is the harvest season of many local agricultural and forestry products such as: persimmons, mountain cucumbers, wild bamboo shoots, squash and many kinds of green vegetables...

At this time, many local traders come to Tay Son commune to collect persimmons. This place is entering the harvest season, the persimmons are ripe and bright red on the branches. Mr. Vu Ra Tenh, an official of Tay Son commune, said that persimmon trees have been planted by Tay Son people for decades, and are mainly grown in production fields. Only a few are grown in home gardens, and are concentrated in Huoi Giang 1 and Huoi Giang 2 villages. Persimmon trees are the subject that can be built into OCOP products in this highland area.

According to a trader who specializes in collecting agricultural products in the highlands of Ky Son, the number of persimmons grown in the gardens of Tay Son people is not much, they are mainly grown in fields quite far from residential areas. Therefore, each year, traders only follow people to the fields to "check out the goods" once, then agree to buy all the persimmons for that household. When the season comes, the family will pick the persimmons themselves, and traders will come to the village to get the goods according to the quantity, the price depends on the quality and size of the fruit.

“This year, all the persimmons in the garden are sold, there are none to bring to the market. Traders ordered all 3 trees from the garden, every day the family just picked them, put them in bags, put them in boxes for them to pick up. A few days before the holiday until now, each tree has sold for about 5 - 6 million VND, the price fluctuates from 25 - 30 thousand VND/kg depending on the size,” said Mr. Vu Va Tu in Huoi Giang 1 village.

In addition to Tay Son commune, some other communes in Ky Son district such as Muong Long, Na Ngoi, Keng Du... also grow persimmons, but the quantity is scattered and not as concentrated as in Tay Son.

The persimmon harvest season is only about 1 - 2 months, from mid-August to mid-October every year, peaking in early September. In Muong Long commune, persimmons are currently grown sporadically in the villages in small quantities, including 3 types of persimmons: Japanese crispy persimmons, egg persimmons and rock persimmons.

Online orders dominate

Ms. Le Thi Van in Muong Long commune said that currently, the locality only has Mr. Ho Pa Chu's garden in Muong Long 2 village growing a few dozen trees, both selling fruit and welcoming tourists to experience. In addition, there are only a few scattered households growing, mainly the stone persimmon variety that ripens in November - December after the tree loses all its leaves. Persimmons are sold at the garden in Muong Long for 30,000 VND/kg, visiting and checking in the persimmon garden costs 30,000 VND/ticket.

Customers buying persimmons in Ky Son said that they mainly sell persimmons online and order delivery services via inter-district buses, or transport services from Ky Son to other localities, mostly to Vinh city. The average shipping price is from 20,000 to 40,000 VND/persimmon order from 5 to 20 kg.

In addition to persimmons, at this time, farmers in the highland districts of Nghe An also harvest mountain cucumbers, squash, wild bamboo shoots, etc. August - September every year is the harvest season for mountain cucumbers. This is a typical cucumber variety of the highland people, often intercropped with other plants on the mountain slopes and production areas of the people. This type of cucumber has firm, crispy and sweet flesh and an average weight of 0.3 - 1 kg/fruit; especially there are fruits over 1 kg.

Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hien, a trader in Vinh city, said that she has specialized in trading highland agricultural products for many years, but she mainly sells online. All steps from contacting to order, booking transportation services, advertising products to delivering to customers are done online.

On this occasion, Ms. Hien said that products such as Ky Son persimmons, mountain cucumbers, sticky corn, and wild bamboo shoots are in high demand, and are sold out as soon as they are ordered, and are mainly bought and sold online. Ky Son persimmons are sold at 89,000 VND/3 kg, with the shipping fee paid by the customer, depending on the distance.

In highland communes such as Tri Le, Nam Giai (Que Phong), Muong Long, Na Ngoi (Ky Son)... people also set up Facebook and Zalo pages to exchange information on agricultural harvest, trading, shipping within the commune and district and connect traders to the place of purchase.

Currently, the price of mountain cucumbers purchased by traders in communes and villages is about 10 - 12 thousand VND/kg and wholesaled in lowland markets is about 15 - 18 thousand VND/kg and this product reaches consumers at a price of 25 - 30 thousand VND/kg depending on the time, the closer to the end of the season the higher the price.

Currently, most of the highland villages and hamlets have known how to use social networks to connect to trade agricultural products, exchange products between villages, hamlets, communes and districts. Thanks to that, it helps people increase production towards goods, increase income, improve life and create dynamism, gradually escape the mindset of waiting and relying. From there, forming purchasing points, connecting agricultural product consumption, increasing the value of the service industry for localities and building typical OCOP products.