Dien grapefruit tree in Tan Lap

Tan Lap Commune, Thanh Son District is in the season of Dien grapefruit - a citrus fruit that once flourished in this land. Traveling throughout Tan Lap at this time, every area is filled with the yellow color of ripe grapefruit. The grapefruit gardens full of fruit bring a warm and prosperous color to the people of this highland commune.

Vice Chairman of Tan Lap Commune People's Committee, Comrade Doan Thanh Binh is still quite young. Over a cup of tea at the Commune People's Committee Office, we discussed about Dien grapefruit trees in Tan Lap land over the years.

Mr. Binh said: In the years 2008 - 2009, Dien grapefruit trees began to be transplanted and planted in Tan Lap by some households in Phuc Tho (Hanoi) who settled here and brought them up to try planting. The trees were good, grew strong and had no pests. Seeing that the soil was suitable, there was potential for a new type of fruit tree and there was a large area of land, many households began to visit, then returned to renovate their mixed gardens and expand the area of Dien grapefruit trees.

From the initial households that were still exploring, after more than 15 years, Tan Lap now has over 100 households participating in growing Dien grapefruit, increasing the area to more than 111 hectares in all residential areas. Dien grapefruit trees during their heyday helped many households in Tan Lap escape poverty, considered the main fruit tree of the locality with a planning area, project and direction quite clearly directed by the district level, when in 2018 the commune began implementing the project of renovating mixed gardens, switching to intensive cultivation of grapefruit trees on a large area. Funds, efforts, scientific and technological advances... were poured into Tan Lap with the desire to turn this place into a key Dien grapefruit area of the district, a tree to escape poverty for the people.

Recognizing the strengths of grapefruit trees in Tan Lap, in order to expand output and identify the brand, in 2021 the commune established a grapefruit growing cooperative with 20 households with large areas and good farming skills to start making OCOP products - a way to enhance the brand and quality of Dien grapefruit in Tan Lap.

VAC model of growing Dien grapefruit combined with livestock of Mr. Dinh Van Nghi's household, Nua Ha area with more than 400 trees has been harvested.

Anh Dao Sinh Thai - Officer of Tan Lap Commune People's Committee said: During the most prosperous period, my family had 1 hectare of Dien grapefruit, when the harvest was good, there was a big Tet. The whole garden of grapefruit was ripe and golden, the price was good, traders came to buy it in droves. Every family that grew grapefruit was bustling and excited. Many areas and households became rich from grapefruit trees, causing the area to increase rapidly, such as Mr. Dang Dinh Dien's household in Ha Thanh area with more than 2 hectares, Mr. Dinh Van Nghi in Nua Ha area with more than 1 hectare, Mr. Ngoc Van Chung in Chung area with more than 3.5 hectares... Many areas have hundreds of households growing Dien grapefruit such as Nua Ha, Tram 1, 2... Currently, Tan Lap harvests about 200 thousand Dien grapefruits a year, besides that there are also green-skin grapefruits, lemons, jackfruits, yellow bananas...

After the "prosperous" period in terms of price and area, currently Dien grapefruit trees in Tan Lap are facing difficulties when prices are low. Many households have gradually converted part of their area to green-skin grapefruit, lemon... by grafting onto the main Dien grapefruit tree. Faced with the new developments of Dien grapefruit trees that are not beneficial to the people, the commune has mobilized people to accelerate the conversion to increase the area of green-skin grapefruit, grafted lemon and yellow banana.

Tan Lap currently has 14% poor households (down 4% compared to before the 27th Commune Party Congress) and grapefruit is still the main crop helping many households escape poverty. Continuing to transform economic models, including citrus fruit trees, will be the direction in Tan Lap in the coming time with the motto of not letting land rest and making the most of the existing land fund to build new livelihood models for people.

Minh Tu

Source: https://baophutho.vn/cay-buoi-dien-o-tan-lap-222699.htm