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Nam Dan persimmons sell well and fetch good prices at the beginning of the season.

Huy Thu • September 22, 2024 07:23

These days, people in Nam Dan are entering the persimmon harvest season. Early-season persimmons are fetching good prices and selling quickly, bringing joy to the persimmon growers.

bna_1(2).jpg — In mid-September, the persimmon orchards on the Dai Hue mountain range in the communes of Nam Anh and Nam Xuan began to ripen. From afar, the golden color of ripe persimmons could be seen on the mountain. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_2(3).jpg — According to locals, this year's persimmon harvest started earlier than usual. Egg-shaped and gourd-shaped persimmons (large, elongated fruits) are more abundant than last year. However, the smaller-fruited variety is not as prolific as in 2023. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_3(2).jpg — Persimmons ripen at different times, so people divide the harvest into several phases. Currently, people in Nam Xuan commune have finished harvesting the mountain persimmons and are entering the egg-shaped persimmon season. People in Nam Anh commune have been harvesting egg-shaped and gourd-shaped persimmons for more than 10 days. The weather has been unpredictable, with alternating rain and sunshine, especially the remnants of typhoon No. 4 causing prolonged rain, affecting the persimmon harvest and making the roads up and down the mountains difficult. When it rains, people stop picking persimmons; when the sun comes out, they continue going up the mountain to harvest. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_4(2).jpg — Mr. Tran Van Linh (47 years old), residing in Hamlet 7, Nam Anh Commune, is harvesting persimmons in his orchard. He said: His family owns three persimmon orchards with approximately 80 trees, yielding about 3-4 tons of fruit each year. This season, he has only harvested 300 kg of fruit so far. He expects the yield to be comparable to last year. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5(1).jpg — When persimmon season arrives, households with sufficient manpower focus on harvesting. Those with fewer workers have to sell their entire orchards to traders or to people who specialize in picking persimmons for hire. Mr. Nguyen Kim Nhuan (64 years old) from Hamlet 7, Nam Anh Commune, said that this season his family spent over 100 million VND buying persimmons from local farmers, then gradually picking them to supply to purchasing centers. Persimmon pickers are paid 400,000 VND per day. (Photo: Huy Thu)

bna_6(1).jpg — In the persimmon-growing communes, there are many persimmon purchasing centers. Many persimmon pickers also collect persimmons to supply to these large purchasing centers. People bring their persimmons to the centers, have them weighed, the price calculated, and receive payment immediately. Mr. Ho Viet Chuong, a resident of Nam Anh commune, shared: On average, each persimmon picking session, he and his son pick more than 100 kg of persimmons. Supplying the persimmons to purchasing centers and receiving payment immediately is very convenient. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_7(1).jpg — At the purchasing centers, persimmons are sorted, discarding any rotten or damaged ones. Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, owner of a persimmon purchasing center in Hamlet 7, Nam Anh Commune, said: "This is the beginning of the persimmon season, and my family imports about 6-7 quintals of persimmons every day. We buy everything the farmers harvest. After ripening, our persimmons are packed into boxes and shipped to Hanoi. This year is very favorable; besides customers in Vinh, we also have customers from further away. Customers in Hanoi are ordering a lot of persimmons, each taking 5-6 quintals, so we don't have to worry about sales like in previous years," Ms. Loan said. Photo: Huy Thu

8 (2) — Locals typically ripen persimmons using two methods: soaking in water and drying. Persimmons soaked in water in barrels or jars are usually crisp, sweet, and bright yellow, while those dried in styrofoam containers have soft flesh and a vibrant red color. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_9(1).jpg — This year, many purchasing centers are choosing to ripen persimmons in styrofoam containers, topped with straw and blankets to retain heat. Each batch ripens around 1 ton of fruit. After four days and nights, when the persimmons are just ripe, they are sorted, packed into boxes, and shipped. According to the purchasing centers, people in the northern provinces seem to prefer soft, ripe persimmons with a bright red color over the traditional crunchy, pickled persimmons. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_10(1).jpg — To produce soft, plump, and sweet persimmons for customers, those who ripen them need experience, especially in timing the harvesting process. Once ripe, the persimmons must be transported immediately; over-ripening will cause them to become mushy and reduce their quality. Persimmons ripened using traditional methods are more prone to bruising than those soaked in water, so they need to be carefully packed in styrofoam boxes or plastic containers. (Photo: Huy Thư)

According to local authorities, Nam Anh commune has about 150 hectares of persimmon trees, mainly concentrated on the slopes of Dai Hue mountain, yielding about 500 tons of fruit annually. Nam Xuan commune has about 90 hectares, yielding about 300 tons annually. Nam Hung commune has about 1,000 trees, producing tens of tons each year. Overall, in Nam Dan district, each successful persimmon harvest supplies the market with approximately 800-900 tons of fruit. Early-season egg-shaped persimmons are currently being purchased by businesses at 30,000 VND/kg, 5,000-8,000 VND higher than last year. With high prices and brisk sales, persimmon growers in Nam Dan are quite pleased. (Photo: Huy Thu)

People in Nam Anh commune (Nam Dan district) harvest persimmons. Video: Huy Thu

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Nam Dan persimmons sell well and fetch good prices at the beginning of the season.

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