Building a value chain for Con Cuong oranges

(Baonghean) - In Con Cuong district, in recent years, people in Yen Khe, Luc Da, Mon Son, Bong Khe, and Chi Khe communes have made good use of their strengths to develop the economy, especially investing in developing orange growing areas. The Con Cuong orange brand has thus continuously affirmed its position in the agricultural market.

These days, if anyone has the opportunity to go to Con Cuong district, they will see that from National Highway 7A, turning into Yen Khe commune, people sell a lot of oranges on both sides of the road. Visitors who stop will be invited to try the oranges without having to pay if they are not satisfied with the purchase. The sellers are also very comfortable when customers want to visit their orange gardens. There, customers can choose the most delicious and satisfactory oranges.

Many people will be surprised to know that the people who produce these sweet oranges are farmers who have always been accustomed to slash-and-burn farming. Among them are many households of the Thai ethnic group.

Mr. Vi Van Son - Chairman of Con Cuong District People's Committee (white shirt) visited the orange garden in Chi Khe commune.

Since Con Cuong district has had a strong policy of innovation in agricultural production with many preferential and supportive policies, Mr. Lo Van Ty and many other households in Tan Huong village, Yen Khe commune have started to implement the orange growing model. With a large area of ​​gently sloping land, very suitable soil and located in a temperate sub-climate, orange trees quickly asserted their "unique" position in Yen Khe land.

Mr. Lo Van Ty’s family alone planted more than 1 hectare, and the 2015 harvest brought his family nearly 500 million VND. Building on the success, at the beginning of this year, Mr. Ty rented a car and a pond digger to proactively water the plants. Without giving a specific figure, Mr. Ty said that this year’s orange crop promises to be a successful year for his family.

Identified as one of the main crops, up to now, the whole Con Cuong district has 255 hectares of oranges grown, concentrated in the communes of Yen Khe, Chi Khe, Bong Khe. Yen Khe commune alone accounts for the largest area with 192 hectares. In fact, it is not by chance that the leaders of Con Cuong district advocate promoting the development of the scale and area of ​​orange growing. Yen Khe area was previously famous for the orange products of Bai Phu Farm. Con Cuong oranges have been proven by their quality in practice. After a period of interruption due to objective fluctuations, Con Cuong oranges have now "returned" and are produced with a more specialized and better technical process.

Ms. Phan Thi Tam - an orange grower in Pha village, Yen Khe commune said: "With more than 1 hectare, my family mainly grows 2 varieties of oranges: Van Du and Valencia. The oranges are delicious so there is no need to worry about the output, as many traders come to the garden to pick and buy all of them. The selling price at the garden is more than 30,000 VND/kg".

Con Cuong oranges are in season.

With local technical support, orange growers in Con Cuong have proactively applied scientific and technical advances to the cultivation of this agricultural product. That is the application of a safe cultivation model according to VietGAP standards, from the drip irrigation system to the use of microbiological preparations and plant protection drugs, all in compliance with technical processes. The ultimate goal is to create the best products to meet the needs and tastes of consumers. In particular, many households have proactively linked together to invest and develop orange growing areas.

Accordingly, farmers who have land but are facing financial difficulties will cooperate with those who have capital to grow oranges together. The total area of ​​oranges after planting will be divided in half, half for the landowner, the rest for the investor. After the end of the life cycle of the orange tree of about 15 years, the cooperation will end.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Sy - Head of the Con Cuong District Agriculture Department said that through this association, many farming households have found opportunities to enrich themselves, something they would not have dared to dream of before. It is known that the average yield of Con Cuong oranges in this year's harvest is 20 tons/ha, the total output is estimated at 3,000 tons. With an average price of 20,000 VND/kg, orange growers will have a total revenue of about 60 billion VND, an efficiency that no other agricultural product can match.

Oranges are packaged by the owners and delivered to customers. Photo: NS

From identifying oranges as the main crop, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district has developed and implemented a project to develop this crop. Accordingly, the district's goal is to have an orange area of ​​450 hectares by 2020, mainly planned in the communes of Yen Khe, Chi Khe, Mon Son, Luc Da, Bong Khe, Don Phuc, Mau Duc, and Thach Ngan. Along with expanding the orange growing area, the district has also gradually restored the Con Cuong orange brand while improving product quality. In addition to specific policies for orange growers, local authorities will indirectly support by organizing activities to introduce and promote products through direct and indirect communication channels.

Regarding this content, Mr. Vi Van Son - Chairman of Con Cuong District People's Committee said: After the campaigns and appeals of local leaders, JICA (Japan) conducted a research and survey in the orange growing area of ​​Yen Khe commune. Initially, this organization invested and supported 5 orange growing households in the commune to implement the value chain from cultivation, planting to final product production. By applying advanced and environmentally friendly technical solutions, it is expected that by the 2017 orange harvest, JICA will launch orange juice and orange wine products. If successful, this can be considered a breakthrough in the agricultural production process of Con Cuong district.

Mr. Vi Van Son also added that the district has promoted calling on many businesses in the agricultural sector to participate in investing and expanding the orange growing area. Most recently, the district has worked with the owner of Thien Son orange farm (Yen Thanh) to implement a project to plant 20 hectares of oranges in Mon Son commune. The success of the project will encourage farmers to boldly change their economic structure and promote the unique values ​​of the locality.

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