Quy Hop: Late ripening oranges, waiting for price

(Baonghean) - Although it is May, many orange gardens in Quy Hop district are still harvesting. This is the late-ripening V2 orange variety, certified by the Central Institute of Agricultural Genetics, and has high economic value. However, due to the high selling price, many orange gardens are unsold...

Present at the orange garden of Mr. Ho Minh Toan, Minh Hop commune, when the weather has come to summer but the number of oranges on the tree is still very much. Mr. Toan said: This is the late ripening orange variety V2, grown in Phu Quy land for 8 years now. Normally, like other years, by the end of March, the oranges are sold out, but up to now, the family still has about 10 tons of unsold oranges. According to Mr. Toan, the reason is that this year the rainy weather has lasted for a long time, when it is time to harvest, the moisture in the soil is still high, so the oranges ripen later than other years.

Mr. Ho Minh Toan's family's orange garden brings in nearly 1 billion VND in annual income.

However, the main reason is that this year's consumption market is worse than previous years. According to Mr. Toan, this year, the V2 orange variety in Cao Phong (Hoa Binh) has a good harvest. Traders transport it to Nghe An for consumption. Cao Phong oranges have a more attractive appearance and lower price (about 20-30 thousand VND/kg) so they are easy to consume, while the price of oranges that Nghe An farmers sell in the garden is 50-55 thousand VND/kg. Besides, other types of oranges from many places also come in, causing difficulties for farmers. In 2011, oranges in the garden were sold by farmers for 70-80 thousand VND/kg, but this year, the price has dropped, there are fewer buyers than in previous years, so farmers have to leave the oranges on the tree and do not dare to pick them.

The orange garden of Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan's family is located next to Mr. Toan's family, and currently has about 3 tons of unsold oranges. Ms. Ngan said: If left for a long time, the oranges will become more porous and lose value, making them harder to sell. Like last year, we could sell a few tons a day, but this year we are lucky to sell a few hundred kilograms. Ms. Ngan also said that this year, V2 oranges are worse than usual. Due to the rainy weather, the fruit has green moss on the surface.

Most of the remaining oranges at this point are concentrated at Xuan Thanh State-owned One Member Co., Ltd. and 3-2 Agricultural Industry Company (Quy Hop). After 8 years of planting, the V2 orange variety is affirming its brand in Phu Quy land. The superiority of this orange variety is thin peel, few seeds, and rich sweetness. Therefore, the selling price of this orange variety is always higher than other traditional orange varieties. If the orange tree grows normally, each hectare will yield about 20 tons on average. With the selling price at the garden being 50,000 VND/kg, each hectare, orange growers earn nearly 1 billion VND. After deducting production costs such as seeds, fertilizers, etc., the total is about 70-80 million VND/ha. Like Mr. Toan's family and Ms. Ngan's family, each orange crop also earns from 700-800 million VND. This is truly a dream number for many agricultural production households.

However, the worrying thing is that due to the late harvest, the growth of the next orange crop will be affected. Because now, the new crop has started to grow strongly, having to "share" the source of nutrients between two orange crops at the same time will make the tree work harder.

As a result, the tree care process will be disrupted and affect the following year's orange crop. "We have repeatedly urged orange growers to sell their oranges early, but because they keep waiting for prices to rise, oranges are still available. Although it will supply the orange market during the hot summer, it is not good in the long run," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Thanh, Head of the Planning and Technical Department of Xuan Thanh State-owned One Member Co., Ltd.

Pham Bang