Cam Van Don is in harvest season.

Quang Ninh Van Yen is the largest concentrated orange-growing area in Van Don district. As the weather begins to turn chilly, the orange orchards of Van Yen enter the harvest season.

Quang Ninh Van Yen is the largest concentrated orange-growing area in Van Don district. As the weather begins to turn chilly, the orange orchards of Van Yen enter the harvest season.

Young visitors enjoyed picking oranges themselves at the Van Don Orange Festival 2024. Photo: Ngan Ha.

Van Don District recently successfully organized the 2024 Van Don Orange Week. This was the second time the Van Don Orange Week has been held, and it was well-received by the people, businesses, and cooperatives, providing an opportunity to promote trade and enhance the brand of Van Don oranges.

Located more than 10km from the center of Van Don, Van Yen commune is the largest concentrated orange-growing area in Van Don island district. These days, along the villages in the commune, you can see vast orchards and hillsides laden with ripe oranges, displaying their golden hues. Every household is bustling with people picking, traders buying, and numerous tourists visiting and experiencing the orange groves.

For many years, orange trees have been the main crop of Van Don district, bringing high economic efficiency and helping people gradually escape poverty and become wealthy.

Mr. Truong Van Khanh, from Cai Bau village, Van Yen commune, shared his joy as his family's orange orchard entered its harvest season: "The entire orchard has about 1,000 orange trees that are ready for harvest, covering an area of ​​more than 2 hectares. The climate and soil here are very suitable for orange trees to grow. On average, my family harvests about 10 tons of fruit per year, with prices fluctuating at the beginning of the season at 35-40 thousand VND/kg. After deducting expenses, we still make a profit of over 100 million VND."

Thanks to the economic benefits of the native orange trees, many households in Van Yen commune have gradually shifted their economic structure towards orange cultivation combined with the development of experiential tourism models, attracting visitors to their orchards.

To preserve the native orange variety, households in Van Yen commune have applied scientific and technical methods for grafting and propagation, thereby contributing to the preservation of the distinctive orange variety. Many households also intercrop other orange varieties such as Canh sweet oranges and tangerines to ensure staggered harvests and increase income.

Oranges in Vân Đồn are clearly priced, providing peace of mind and trust for locals and tourists. Photo: Cường Vũ.

According to the People's Committee of Van Yen commune, the total area of ​​orange orchards in the commune is approximately 183 hectares, cultivated by 100 households. On average, Van Yen oranges produce about 200 tons per year. Because there is only one harvest per year, and it takes place at the end of the year, Van Yen oranges are mainly sold within the province and some neighboring localities. On average, each orange-growing household earns between 100 and 200 million VND per year.

Ms. Truong Thi Thuy Huyen, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Van Don District, said: "From a specialty crop at risk of decline, Van Yen oranges have now become a branded OCOP product with a stable growing area and are gradually expanding in scale. Currently, Van Don District has a plan to develop a project for the development of native crops, which includes expanding an additional 200 hectares of oranges in Van Yen commune, aiming to expand the market to many other provinces and cities."

"Through Van Don Orange Week, we aim to preserve, promote, introduce, and publicize the image, potential, and advantages of Van Yen commune, Van Don district, in developing orange cultivation, while promoting community-based tourism, including experiential tours of orange orchards, attracting tourists, and thereby increasing income for the people. Orange Week is also an opportunity for people to honor orange-growing households, contributing to the formation of OCOP products in the locality," Ms. Huyen shared.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/cam-van-don-vao-mua-thu-hoach-d413961.html