Effectiveness of Quang Tien pink grapefruit growing model according to VietGAP process

Grapefruit garden of Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu's family in Cat Son hamlet, Nghia Hieu commune (Nghia Dan). Photo: Minh Thai

Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu's family in Cat Son hamlet, Nghia Hieu commune grows 250 Quang Tien pink grapefruit trees on an area of ​​1.3 hectares. However, to achieve food safety quality, his family does not use pesticides but mainly uses biological products to limit some types of pests and diseases while helping the fruit to be shiny and beautiful. To irrigate widely, his family invested in an automatic overhead irrigation system.

His family has been growing grapefruit for over 3 years now, and last year the harvest yielded about 50 million VND. This year is the second business cycle, and when the grapefruits bear young fruit, they are all carefully wrapped.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu said: “To keep grapefruit green and fruiting all year round, you must choose good varieties, before planting, you must build mounds, and have a good drainage system. Fertilize once a month and add organic fertilizer every year. A common pest on grapefruit is leafminer, in this case, using mineral oil is very effective without harming the health of consumers.”

Grapefruit is wrapped in plastic bags to prevent damage from the outside. Photo: Minh Thai

Leaving Nguyen Trung Hieu's family, we went to Nguyen Thi Thom's family in Trung Tam hamlet. After receiving technical training in the direction of VietGAP, at the end of 2014, her family planted 180 new Quang Tien grapefruit trees on an area of ​​1 hectare. The grapefruit varieties she planted were carefully selected by technical staff of the Agricultural Extension Station and the Commune Farmers' Association. Up to now, her family's grapefruit garden is bearing fruit and growing well.

According to Ms. Thom, to grow Quang Tien grapefruit according to VietGAP standards, farmers need to follow many principles such as: recording production logs, preventing pests and diseases according to the "4 rights" principle, building warehouses for pesticides and agricultural materials. In return, grapefruit ensures safety for consumers and the environment, has high economic value, and is favored by the market.

In addition to the fruit wrapping method, Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu combines some biological products to attract insects. Photo: Minh Thai

Currently, the commune has 220 hectares of citrus trees. Not only grapefruit trees, the locality is also producing safe fruits such as oranges, guavas, custard apples, etc. which are well received by the market. Mr. Ngo Sy Binh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Hieu commune said: Currently, the commune is building many high-income models. To improve product quality, the irrigation system for the orchard must be upgraded, focusing on fertilizer care, plant protection must ensure the process before, during and after harvest.

Growing grapefruit according to VietGAP standards is a condition and opportunity for people to gradually move towards safer and more effective production methods, contributing to improving the quality and competitiveness of pink grapefruit in the market.