Building the Quynh Lien chayote brand

(Baonghean) - Quynh Luu people often call Quynh Lien commune the "kingdom" of chayote. Chayote is everywhere, from fences connecting houses to houses to vast green fields as far as the eye can see... During the harvest season, along the inter-commune road, trucks with license plates 29, 30, 31 and 37 are always waiting to "buy" the goods.

Although it has only been developed for about ten years, the area of ​​chayote plants has accounted for over 60% of the total vegetable area of ​​the whole commune; from 79 hectares planted in 2010, by 2012 it had increased to 100 hectares, with an average of nearly 300 tons of fruit sold each day... Mr. Ho Duc Nghia, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Lien commune, said: The whole commune has nearly 300 hectares of agricultural land.

Quynh Lien chayote has become a source of green vegetables for the Hanoi market.

Previously, they mainly grew peanuts and sweet potatoes, then climbing beans, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes... but the productivity and efficiency were still not high. In the winter-spring crop of 2003, 4-5 households in the commune spontaneously brought chayote varieties from the North to try planting in their gardens. Unexpectedly, the variety was suitable for the soil, and the income was 4-5 times higher than other crops. Seeing that, people learned to follow suit, and the chayote area was quickly expanded throughout the commune... In 2009, with the sponsorship of the CRS project, Quynh Lien commune sent officials to Hanoi to find markets. Thanks to that, Quynh Lien chayote products reached and were accepted by 4 wholesale markets (Dich Vong, Long Bien, Thuong Tin - Hanoi) as a clean vegetable. From there, it created momentum for Quynh Lien people to turn chayote into a local commodity crop.

This is an agricultural product with a long harvest period, planted once and can be harvested for 4 months. Start sowing from August of the lunar calendar (intercropping with vegetables), when the vegetables are harvested, proceed to mound the roots; if the weather is favorable, the fruit will be produced until the end of March of the lunar calendar, harvested every 2-3 days. Although the price of chayote is often unstable, at the beginning of the season it can reach 4,000-5,000 VND/kg, in the main season it can only be 500 VND/kg. In 2012 alone, the highest selling price was only half of last year (2,000 VND/kg), the mass selling time was 1,000 VND/kg. However, with continuous harvesting frequency, the yield always reaches 100-120 tons/ha and there is no worry about output, so the average income is still superior to other crops. The characteristics of chayote are that it likes humidity, is easy to care for, and is rarely affected by pests; investing in planting 1 hectare of chayote costs about 6 million VND, of which 3 million is for deposits, concrete, and steel wire, but it can be used for 4-5 years... Currently, in the whole commune, there are more than 200 households growing chayote, most concentrated in hamlet 4 (with an area of ​​over 30 hectares). Currently, Quynh Lien chayote products are available in the markets of Hanoi, Hue, and Da Nang...

Although the crop is bringing high efficiency, the development of chayote in Quynh Lien is still in a way that everyone does their own thing. In the spring crop of 2012 alone, the area of ​​chayote increased by 21 hectares compared to 2010, with an output of over ten thousand tons per year, but the whole commune has not yet established a cooperative to purchase, currently there are only 4 service groups specializing in collecting and consuming the products. And people often have to send goods to the collection groups first, after they deduct transportation costs, remuneration and then set the price, so it is inevitable that people are manipulated and forced to lower prices by traders... In addition, Quynh Lien chayote has not yet penetrated the supermarket system because it has not built a brand, and cannot prove its origin" - Mr. Le Van Dong, in hamlet 6, Quynh Lien commune - is one of the traders specializing in collecting chayote in the locality said.

Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Vice Chairman of Quynh Lien Commune People's Committee said: "Since the beginning of March 2012, the commune has introduced chayote products online through the website: RausachQuynhlien.gov.vn. Thanks to this website, Chinese traders have learned about it and come to the locality to access the market through service groups to purchase chayote.

Although the products exported to China require beautiful designs, must be packaged individually (the packaging is provided by China), and the selling price is only equal to the domestic market price, but the payment is made in advance through the account before the goods are collected, so traders and people are very excited. Currently, the commune has submitted a report to the district's Department of Agriculture and the Department of Science and Technology asking for support in registering a trademark, and moving towards labeling Quynh Lien chayote products.

Hopefully Quynh Lien will soon build a brand for this clean vegetable, helping farmers stabilize production.

Ngoc Anh