Determined to rekindle the 'relationship' with the poverty alleviation tree in the border area of ​​Nghe An

Profit of over 100 million VND/ha... in the "golden" period

In 2017, Huoi Co village, Nhon Mai commune was selected by Tuong Duong district to pilot the cultivation of passion fruit. After mobilizing people to implement the model, in which village and commune officials volunteered to take the lead in planting the new tree species on their family land, including the Secretary and Head of Huoi Co village, the first crop of the whole Huoi Co village achieved a yield of more than 40 tons.passion fruit. Every year, passion fruit growers in Huoi Co village harvest 1-2 crops, earning tens of millions of dong, making passion fruit a "poverty alleviation tree" for many households in Nhon Mai commune.

Passion fruit used to be a crop that brought high economic efficiency to people in border areas. Photo: Quang An

In Que Phong district, passion fruit was planted about 15 years ago. Because it was the first time it was planted, the tree adapted quickly to the climate and soil, so it grew quickly and had high productivity.

Mr. Vi Van Son - one of the households with the largest passion fruit growing area in Tri Le commune recalls: “The period 2014-2018 was the period of strongest development of passion fruit, the yield could reach 30 - 40 tons/ha, bringing in an income of over 300 million VND/ha, after deducting expenses, people had a profit of 100 - 150 million VND/ha. No other crop in the area had such a high income, since then, every household competed to grow passion fruit...”.

Mr. Vi Van Cuong - Chairman of Tri Le Commune People's Committee shared: At the peak period about 7-8 years ago, the whole commune had more than 300 hectares of passion fruit, evenly distributed in all villages. At that time, passion fruit trees had many advantages such as being supported with seeds, adapting to the climate, and guaranteed output because there was a purchasing company. People would sort the harvest according to criteria and the company would purchase all of it. Many households were able to build houses, buy motorbikes, and send their children to school thanks to passion fruit...

Determined to "reconnect" with passion fruit

However, that was the story of nearly a decade ago, the golden age of passion fruit in Que Phong, Tuong Duong, and even Ky Son. In the past 3 years, the area of ​​passion fruit in the province has been increasingly shrinking.

Head of Huoi Co village, Mr. Va Khua Do, expressed that if there were dozens of hectares before, by May 2023, there would be no passion fruit trees left on Huoi Co land. Because this plant is very difficult to grow, quickly degenerates, and is susceptible to pests and diseases; after only about 2 years of planting, the yield will decrease, the tree will gradually die, and even replanting will not be effective.

However, many passion fruit areas have now been cleared, abandoned or planted with cassava, papaya... Photo: Quang An

Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tuong Duong district, Lo Kham Kha, said: At its peak, the whole district had about 100 hectares of passion fruit, however, up to now, it has only been planted sporadically on a small scale in some localities. The reason is that pests and diseases as well as the output is no longer guaranteed as before.

Because of its proven economic efficiency, the district is also planning to restore this plant variety. However, for now, the land used for growing passion fruit will be allowed to rest, helping to eliminate pathogens. After that, the variety will be brought back to Nhon Mai commune to be replanted on an estimated area of ​​25-30 hectares, and research will be conducted to expand if it proves effective.

Mr. Lo Kham Kha - Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Tuong Duong district

Pests and diseases and difficult output are the two main reasons why passion fruit can no longer maintain its position. Photo: Hoai Thu

Mr. Vi Van Cuong - Chairman of Tri Le Commune People's Committee (Que Phong) said: The district has planned more than 50% of the passion fruit area in the district. However, in recent years, people have destroyed a lot, now there are only about 10 hectares left, planted sporadically in some households. The reason is that passion fruit is infected with pests, reducing productivity, poor output, so people are no longer interested. Some areas have been converted to grow cassava, sugarcane, papaya... the rest are left fallow.

Faced with this situation, Que Phong district is making efforts to implement plans to restore passion fruit trees. According to the Resolution of the District Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term, the district will continue to maintain passion fruit production on 250-300 hectares, as this is a crop that Que Phong district still focuses on developing because it has proven to generate income and has the ability to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty for people in the highlands.

Mr. Bui Van Hien - Vice Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee said: The district's consistent orientation is still to find solutions to restore passion fruit trees, although it will be very difficult. In particular, focusing on 3 main groups of solutions: doing ideological work with people, technical measures and efforts to find output for agricultural products.

Passion fruit needs measures to reduce pests and diseases to maintain high productivity. Photo: Hoai Thu

The main reason for the decrease in productivity and quality of passion fruit is due to pests, fungi and viruses developing too quickly. While pests and fungi can be prevented with drugs, there is currently no specific medicine to treat the virus that develops on passion fruit trees. Therefore, Que Phong district is taking samples to send to the Department of Science and Technology and the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences for research and to find a solution as soon as possible so that passion fruit can be replanted with peace of mind.

In addition, the district also directed the functional forces and localities with passion fruit growing areas in the planning to do ideological work, encourage people to replant passion fruit at the appropriate time, and actively renovate areas that are left fallow or rotated to other crops. At the same time, there will be support plans for materials, fertilizers, etc. so that people can feel secure in replanting passion fruit.

The final and most important solution to restore passion fruit trees is to ensure the output. In recent years, the main consumption channel for passion fruit in the area has been purchased by Nafoods Joint Stock Company. However, in recent years, the company's product purchase for farmers has not been as regular as before, prices have also been unstable, and people have not been able to maintain their income. Therefore, the district is planning to work and discuss with the factory to agree on solutions to ensure the output for passion fruit trees, so that farmers will have the motivation to reconnect with this variety of tree.

Mr. Bui Van Hien - Vice Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee