Concerns about the Yên Thành orange brand.

(Baonghean) - From 2007 to the present, orange trees in Yen Thanh district have developed strongly, bringing high economic efficiency and being classified as a key crop, but to date, Yen Thanh oranges have not yet built a brand; orange growers are still struggling to find markets for their products.

The orange orchard of Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong's family, Hamlet 8, Minh Thanh Commune.

In Dong Thanh commune, besides the farms owned by local people, there are also successful business models investing in orange cultivation. A prime example is Sao Mai Joint Stock Company, owned by Mr. Trinh Xuan Giao. Mr. Giao said: “Since 2004, the company has invested in the Dong Trung area of ​​Dong Thanh commune, and the total area has now reached 23 hectares. The orange variety planted is Xa Doai, which has large, thin-skinned, sweet fruit with few seeds. In 2013, the company sold 400 tons, earning 12 billion VND. This year, we expect to harvest about 500 tons, with an estimated revenue of 15 billion VND.”

Currently, the movement to cultivate oranges is not only thriving in Minh Thanh and Dong Thanh communes but has also spread to many other communes in the district such as Ly Thanh, Ma Thanh, Xuan Thanh, etc. Besides the 18 households cultivating 100 hectares in concentrated areas, the entire district has nearly 200 hectares, including scattered cultivation. Orange trees are developing strongly and have great potential in the district. During harvest season, traders come directly to the area to buy the oranges; however, when asked about the name of the oranges, sellers are still hesitant, offering them as Xa Doai oranges, Vinh oranges, or Minh Thanh oranges… without a common brand for oranges grown in Yen Thanh.

To build a brand for a product, it is necessary to meet mandatory criteria regarding quantity, quality, design, and brand positioning. However, through practical surveys, it is true that the quality of Yen Thanh oranges has only just "touched" the standard. When the "Minh Thanh Orange Restoration Project in 2007" was evaluated, the evaluation council, which included representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and provincial leaders, assessed that: In terms of sweetness and aroma, Minh Thanh oranges are not inferior to Xa Doai oranges, but Minh Thanh oranges still have the disadvantage of having many seeds. According to Mr. Tran Huu Binh, a technical officer at Trinh Xuan Giao's enterprise: "Currently, regarding fertilization practices, except for large farms and experienced gardeners who use proper techniques, many cases still lack scientific methods. When fertilizing, it is necessary to carefully study the soil type to determine what elements the soil is lacking or in excess in order to adjust the fertilizer application, rather than using pre-processed microbial fertilizers and NPK compound fertilizers. Furthermore, during the initial establishment period, orange trees need to be pruned and shaped using the correct techniques. All of these factors greatly determine the quality of the oranges."

To ensure the quality of oranges, two fundamental factors must be emphasized: variety and cultivation techniques. However, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Hue, an agricultural extension officer in Yen Thanh district, "Through surveys, out of the 170 hectares of orange orchards in the district, farmers often independently source and import seedlings from private traders. Typical examples include the Van Du orange variety (imported from Hanoi) and the V2 variety (imported from Nghia Dan)... which are unsuitable for the local soil and weather, leading to slow growth, low yield, and poor quality. Research in the district currently shows that the two orange varieties highly valued by farmers are the Sanh orange (widely grown in Minh Thanh) and the Xa Doai orange (widely grown in Dong Thanh). Currently, the district's agricultural extension station is recommending farmers use these two varieties." Furthermore, Yen Thanh's orange production is very limited, with only 2,000 to 3,000 tons of fruit sold annually. Therefore, to build a distinct brand for Yen Thanh oranges, it is necessary to expand the orange growing area two or three times compared to the current size. According to surveys, Yen Thanh oranges can be grown not only in hilly areas but also in orchards in lowland communes such as Vinh Thanh, Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, and Nam Thanh, so the potential for expanding the area is very large.

Orange trees require a relatively long initial development period and significant capital investment. The process from land preparation to harvest takes nearly 5 years, with an average investment of approximately 250 million VND per hectare (excluding land costs). However, according to our research, most people currently lack the necessary investment capital. Mr. Nguyen Khac Son, Secretary of the Youth Union of Dong Thanh commune, reflected: “At the beginning of 2014, the commune established a project for 8 households to produce oranges. However, when these households approached the policy bank for funding, they were told that the bank did not yet have funds available for the project.” Furthermore, a crucial factor in brand building is the presence of pesticide residue in the oranges. Therefore, for orange trees to thrive in Yen Thanh district and become a key crop contributing to the economic development of the people, in addition to guiding farmers in cultivation and investment, relevant agencies and local authorities need to provide direction and build a brand for the product.

Thanh Quynh