Oranges, lemons and tangerines are full of fruit, people are happy as a festival.

As the orange harvest season is approaching, people in Kim Hoa and Son Truong communes - considered the "orange granary" of Huong Son district (Ha Tinh) - are excited because the output is expected to increase compared to last year.

There is still more than a month until the main orange harvest season in Huong Son, but at this time, many families in Kim Hoa commune have sold the first oranges of the season for 20 - 25,000 VND/kg. The family of Mr. Dau Quang Quan (born in 1985, Kim Linh village) is one of them.

Ms. Dao Thi Trang - wife of Mr. Dau Quang Quan in the middle of an orange garden full of fruit.

"The weather is quite favorable, so this year my family has a good orange crop. With more than 3 hectares of oranges and about 1,000 lemon trees, we expect to harvest more than 30 tons, earning about 650 - 700 million VND, 150 - 200 million VND higher than in 2022" - Mr. Quan happily said.

Not far away, the 1,100-tree orange garden of Mr. Dau Quang Huyen (64 years old, Kim Linh village) is also full of fruit, with an expected yield of more than 35 tons. According to Mr. Huyen, in addition to favorable weather, this year, the family has increased the amount of manure and organic fertilizer for the trees to help the oranges grow well, with higher yields than in 2022, with an estimated income of about 1 billion VND.

Oranges, lemons and tangerines are full of fruit, people are happy as a festival.

Fruit-laden citrus orchards in Kim Hoa.

According to the Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Kim Hoa Commune, Phan Trong Nam, this year, the whole commune has 700 hectares of oranges, mainly lemons in the villages of Tan Hoa, Kim Linh, Kim Loc, Minh Giang... Orange output is estimated at 6,753 tons. With an average garden price of 20,000 VND/kg, the commune is estimated to earn over 135 billion VND, an increase of 10 - 15% compared to 2022.

Unlike Kim Hoa, the orange growing area in Son Truong is mainly the Bu orange variety. This orange variety will be harvested from around mid-January 2024, in time for the Lunar New Year. Although it is still in the development stage, the estimated output is quite high, increasing by 15-20% compared to last year.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang (born in 1958, residing in village 9) said: "This year, my family increased the amount of biofertilizers, and at the same time paid attention to care and pruning of small, stunted fruits. I also invested in an "automatic berg irrigation system" so the trees grow evenly and bear fruit. If the selling price is around 35 - 40,000 VND/kg, this year, the orange garden will bring in a revenue of 200 - 250 million VND".

Oranges, lemons and tangerines are full of fruit, people are happy as a festival.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang invested in an automatic irrigation system to reduce irrigation work and increase orange productivity.

The entire Son Truong commune currently has 700 households growing oranges, concentrated in villages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 with an area of 400 hectares (70% oranges, the rest are lemons). According to farmers, the orange gardens in the commune this year are very fruitful, and the output is expected to increase in this year's harvest.

Oranges, lemons and tangerines are full of fruit, people are happy as a festival.

The orange garden compensates for the high productivity of Mr. Nguyen Van Thang's family.

Ms. Tran Thi Nham - Vice Chairman of Son Truong Commune People's Committee said: "This year, orange output increased by 15 - 20%, in addition to favorable weather, the most important thing is that people have invested a lot of effort in care, applying advanced technical processes so that the trees grow well, with high flowering and fruiting rates. In particular, this year, 9 households have invested in automatic irrigation systems worth 50 - 70 million VND/household from the support of Vingroup Corporation (the corporation supports 70%, people contribute 30% of counterpart capital), so not only productivity but also quality is forecasted to be better".

This year, the productivity of both oranges and lemons in Huong Son district is expected to be the highest in the past few years. To help farmers sell their products, in addition to directing farmers' associations at all levels to set up zalo and facebook groups to promote and find markets, the district's Farmers' Association also coordinates with organizations, connects with large businesses and agents in and outside the province to support farmers' sales, avoiding the situation of "good harvest, low price" like previous years.
Mr. Le Dinh Phuoc
Vice Chairman of Huong Son District Farmers' Association

Hoai Nam

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