Nghia Dan guava, a local specialty, is struggling to find markets.
(Baonghean.vn) - Although Nghia Dan guava brand is quite widely known, consumption is difficult, limited to small-scale sales and lacking connections with large-scale distributors. Therefore, many guava seasons have seen bumper harvests but low prices.
Nghia Son commune is considered the guava capital of Nghia Dan district. Currently, the entire commune has 150 hectares of guava trees, spread across the hamlets, with Son Thuong and Son Ha hamlets having the largest area, approximately 80 hectares. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh's family in this commune has been growing guava for 10 years; they are currently cultivating 2 hectares of pear guava. Ms. Thanh said that guava has many good characteristics such as a short planting and growing time, a high fruit setting rate, and few pests and diseases, with a yield that can reach 15-20 tons/ha.
Guava trees thrive in Nghia Dan district, but concerns about market access remain. Ms. Phan Thi Hanh, a guava grower in Nghia Lam commune, shared: "The biggest worry for guava growers is the erratic sales and fluctuating prices. Two years ago, the price of guava dropped to only 5,000-7,000 VND/kg. This year, even though the price is higher, the quantity of guava sold is still not much."
Recognizing that guava growers in Nghia Son were fragmented, small-scale, and lacked capital, making them vulnerable to market disadvantages, the Nghia Son Guava Growing and Consumption Cooperative was established in 2023 with 18 households. Members received comprehensive training and strictly followed safe guava cultivation and care procedures, applying scientific and technical advancements to enhance the value of local guava products. Also in 2023, the cooperative's guavas were recognized as achieving OCOP 3-star standards, but sales have yet to see a breakthrough.
Mr. Nguyen Van Danh, head of the Nghia Son guava cultivation and consumption cooperative, shared: "For the past year, we, along with the local government, have continuously searched for and connected with potential buyers, hoping to get our guavas into supermarkets and large supply chains. However, we have yet to sign any contracts, even though the guavas are grown according to proper procedures, have complete labels, and have received significant investment. Currently, our output mainly relies on traders; if they don't come to buy, farmers have to contact their regular customers and sell retail themselves..."
In fact, the difficulties in marketing Nghia Dan guava products were predicted beforehand. During the period of high guava prices in 2017-2018, many households rushed to plant guava. Furthermore, in the later period, when Nghia Dan oranges deteriorated and had to be cut down, people mainly replaced them with guava. From 100 hectares of guava in 2015-2017, the entire Nghia Dan district now has 700 hectares, of which about 400 hectares are newly planted on degraded orange land. The unplanned and rapid increase in guava cultivation has led to negative consequences, with supply exceeding demand and slow consumption.
Mr. Lam Van Thang, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Nghia Dan district, said: Currently, guava is one of the fruit trees with the largest planted area in the district. Finding markets for this agricultural product is always a top priority for the district. At conferences and trade fairs connecting supply and demand, the locality always brings its products to introduce and promote them.
Besides the involvement of relevant departments and localities, guava growers also need to adapt to the booming online business environment, proactively seeking partners on e-commerce platforms to ensure effective product sales during each harvest.
