NEW PERIODS: Connecting with citrus trees

(Baonghean) - At this time, many families in Tan Long, Tan An, Tan Phu communes (Tan Ky) are taking care of nearly 160 hectares of citrus trees in the basic construction period and 20 hectares in the fruiting period. After many years of absence, citrus fruit trees, especially orange trees, are gradually asserting their position and promising to bring economic efficiency to Tan Ky land.

Realizing that Tan An is a suitable land for citrus trees, while the market for this fruit is wide open, Mr. Dau Tien Sy in Quynh Luu hamlet, Tan An commune (Tan Ky) has invested in planting 250 PQ1 tangerine trees in his hill garden area. Thanks to the trees being suitable for the soil and being well cared for, this tangerine variety is quite sweet and fragrant, with an average yield of 1.2 quintals of fruit/tree. During each harvest, traders often come to the garden to order in large quantities, almost every year "selling out", earning profits of 100 to 120 million VND per year.

From the initial successes, Mr. Sy continued to invest in experimental planting of V2 orange and Van Du orange varieties - orange varieties that are generating high income, and are quite popular in Con Cuong, Quy Hop, Nghia Dan. In 2008, when the trees bore fruit with a yield of 15 tons/ha, the family earned nearly 200 million VND. In the following years, especially from the 4th year, the yield increased by an average of 30 tons/ha. Mr. Sy shared: “Growing citrus trees is not difficult, as long as the grower is diligent in taking care of them according to basic techniques, the yield can be guaranteed. The output for the product is quite favorable because the Vinh orange brand has now established a foothold in the market.”

Mr. Thai Doan Tai (Tan Xuan - Tan Ky) takes care of 1.6 hectares of newly planted oranges.

In recent years, An Ngai Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. located in Tan An commune has also made new progress in growing citrus trees. It is known that the company currently has more than 65 hectares of orange, tangerine, grapefruit and lemon trees. Of which, 20 hectares are being harvested, the rest are in the basic construction period. In the past 2 years, people have newly planted 15 hectares of oranges with the basic varieties of Xa Doai orange, V2 and Van Du orange. According to Mr. Chu Hoai Thanh, Deputy Secretary of Tan An commune Party Committee: "Currently, from the areas being harvested, it can be seen that the yield is quite high, in terms of care techniques, people have basically mastered it, because An Ngai Farm used to be one of the key orange growing areas of Tan Ky, so people have a lot of experience in this field".

According to information from Song Con Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd., Tan Phu Commune, the farm currently has nearly 100 hectares of citrus trees, mainly orange trees and 20 hectares of newly planted orange trees. Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, Deputy Director of the company, said: “Through the survey, the soil quality and natural conditions here are very suitable for orange trees, and at the same time, the consumption market for this fruit is quite open. Therefore, from the rubber area damaged by this year's storm, the farm has converted to growing oranges. In the coming time, for old rubber areas that have expired, the farm will also convert to citrus trees.”

In the first 6 months of 2015, Tan Ky district has newly planted nearly 25 hectares of oranges and tangerines, mainly concentrated in the communes of Tan Long, Tan An, Tan Phu and Dong Van. As one of the households with a large area of ​​oranges, Mr. Thai Doan Tai in Tan Xuan hamlet shared: “Currently, my family has nearly 1.6 hectares of oranges, planted for 7 months. We sprayed pesticides to prevent basic diseases, and fertilized according to the instructions of technical staff. Due to the suitable soil and careful care, the trees have grown quite well, despite the prolonged hot weather in the past. My family has also spent a long time cultivating this type of tree, so now we have a lot of experience in caring for it. Orange trees are very compatible with organic fertilizers, so we need to rely on the growth cycle of the tree to fertilize, and at the same time, we need to dig a trench 20 - 30cm deep, 30 - 40cm wide around the tree canopy to put in fertilizer and lime and cover with straw after covering the soil so that the tree can grow well and bear fruit”.

Regarding the new changes of people in expanding the orange growing area, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc, Head of the District Agriculture Department, said: “In previous years, our province has identified orange trees as well as some other citrus trees as crops with high economic efficiency that need to be encouraged for development. Localities with orange growing areas are mainly concentrated in Con Cuong, Nghia Dan, Quy Hop and Tan Ky districts because of the natural conditions and climate suitable for orange trees to grow. To encourage the expansion of orange growing areas, the district has recently organized for many farm owners and households to visit and learn from experiences in some districts with large orange growing areas and high productivity, especially to learn from commercial orange growing models in the Phu Quy area. Based on the experiences and valuable lessons learned from practice, the district will have timely and appropriate support policies for orange growing households, gradually forming orange production areas in the direction of goods, bringing stable income to the people”.

The conversion to orange trees or other citrus trees is a direction supported by many households here. However, this is a "rich man's" tree, requiring a huge investment, from land improvement, infrastructure, seedlings, care time, technical processes... The process from land preparation to harvest takes nearly 5 years, on average 1 hectare of oranges requires an investment of about 250 million VND. On the other hand, ensuring technical standards during the care process also places many strict requirements on growers. The current consumer market is wide open, but if planted en masse, will prices drop and output be difficult?

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, Vice Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee said: "In the 60s of the last century, Song Con Farm and An Ngai Farm of Tan Ky District formed many specialized orange growing areas with an area of ​​over 400 hectares. However, after a while, the above area was degraded because people used old varieties. On the other hand, Greening disease in oranges and tangerines was rampant, forcing growers to cut down trees without renovating or replanting. However, in recent years, V2 orange and PQ1 tangerine varieties have been planted on more than 50 hectares in our province, showing that they are resistant to disease and have stable productivity. Some households in the district have also planted them and achieved quite high efficiency. Currently, the district has more than 1,000 hectares of alluvial land and hilly land that can grow citrus trees, including commercial orange trees. Based on favorable land conditions and the efficiency that orange and tangerine trees have brought to people in recent years, the District People's Committee has a policy to develop a project develop the commercial orange area, restore the “brand” of Tan Ky oranges. The district’s orientation is to expand the orange and tangerine area to 200 hectares in the next 5 years.

Thanh Quynh