Restoring commercial orange trees

(Baonghean) - In the 1960s, Tan Ky district had Song Con and An Ngai farms specializing in orange cultivation, covering an area of ​​approximately 400 hectares. For a period, the area dedicated to orange cultivation in the district was almost completely wiped out, giving way to rubber trees. After decades of absence, recently, some households in the communes of Tan An, Tan Phu, Tan Long, Dong Van, etc., have boldly invested in growing oranges and tangerines, yielding high incomes. The success of citrus fruit cultivation has become the basis for the District People's Committee to develop a plan to restore and develop commercial orange cultivation.

One of the first people to return to citrus cultivation in Tan Ky was Mr. Dau Tien Sy from Quynh Luu hamlet, Tan An commune. In 2006, Mr. Sy went to the Phu Quy Seedling Center (Nghia Dan) to buy 50 VQ mandarin orange saplings to plant in his garden. Initially, Mr. Sy faced many difficulties, but thanks to his diligence and willingness to learn from experienced growers, things gradually improved. Since becoming familiar with the new crop, Mr. Sy and his family members have learned to fertilize properly and care for the trees using the correct techniques, resulting in large, high-quality mandarin oranges. For many years, during the harvest season, customers have come to the garden to pick the fruit and transport it to the lowlands for sale. Last season, Mr. Sy's family earned over 150 million VND from their mandarin orange orchard.

The tangerine orchard of Mr. Dau Tien Sy in Tan An commune (Tan Ky district) generates a high income.

Dr. Dau Tien Sy shared his experience: Mandarin trees aren't "fussy," but you need to know how to care for them to get a good harvest. Before planting, dig a hole and mix manure and phosphorus fertilizer at the bottom. Once the tree takes root and grows, fertilize twice a year with manure, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer. However, once the mandarin tree bears fruit, fertilize four times a year, and you need to know how to fertilize properly so the tree can absorb the nutrients. Mandarin trees need plenty of water; during the dry season, they must be watered daily. Dr. Sy also revealed: once the mandarin tree has fruit, fertilize as the foliage grows, but don't dig too deep to avoid damaging the roots. During the mandarin tree's development, monitor for common pests and diseases such as red mites, green leaf-eating caterpillars, and leaf miners to control them promptly.

To date, households in Tan Ky have planted approximately over 10 hectares of oranges and tangerines, concentrated in the communes of Tan Long, Tan An, Tan Phu, and Dong Van. Surveys indicate that the district has about 1,000 hectares of alluvial and hilly land along rocky slopes suitable for developing citrus fruit trees, including commercial oranges. Based on favorable land conditions and the success of orange and tangerine cultivation in recent years, the District People's Committee has decided to develop a project to expand the commercial orange growing area and restore the "Tan Ky orange brand." The district's orientation is to expand the area of ​​oranges and tangerines to 200 hectares in the next five years. Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc, Head of the District Agriculture Department, said: "The fact that people are proactively renovating their orchards and investing in Van Du orange and VQ tangerine varieties to gradually transform crops and increase efficiency per unit area is extremely encouraging."

To encourage the expansion of orange cultivation, the Tan Ky District People's Committee recently organized a study tour for many farm owners and households to learn from the experiences of several districts with large orange growing areas and high yields, especially to study commercial orange cultivation models in the Phu Quy area. Based on the valuable experiences and lessons learned from practice, the District People's Committee will implement timely and appropriate support policies for orange growers, gradually forming a commercial orange production area that brings stable income to the people.

Nguyen Hoang