Cau Duc pineapple: the sweetness of Vi Thanh

On the day Hoa Tien commune, Vi Thanh city, was recognized by Hau Giang province People's Committee as meeting the standards of a model new rural area, Mr. Vu Sui, a veteran farmer, was moved to tears. He is a witness to the transformation of Cau Duc pineapple area towards OCOP standard products along with new rural construction.

Now, Mr. Vu Sui is used to sticking traceability stamps on Cau Duc pineapples when this product meets the 4-star OCOP standard. After more than 40 years of growing Cau Duc pineapples, he is a "second generation" grower, so he understands the ups and downs of this "hundred-eyed" fruit. The straight ditches and fields, the pineapples always yield a lot in the saline alum soil, which is also the reason why Mr. Vu Sui is trusted by the people and elected as the Director of Thanh Thang Cooperative - currently has over 100 members cultivating more than 200 hectares of pineapples.

“In addition to creating OCOP products from Cau Duc pineapple, the cooperative has signed contracts to purchase pineapple products for members and associated pineapple growers with an output of more than 1,500 tons of fruit/180 hectares. The cooperative also cooperates with a number of processing and export companies to ensure a consumption market, helping pineapple growers have a high income,” Mr. Vu Sui shared. Like himself, with 6 hectares of pineapple, he now earns several hundred million VND per year, and is confident in sticking with pineapple for a long time.

People on both banks of the Cai Lon River - the border of Go Quao District (Kien Giang Province) and Vi Thanh City (Hau Giang Province), consider Cau Duc pineapple a wise choice of their predecessors. Because Cau Duc pineapple is a type of plant that adapts to salinity. According to the old people here, in 1930, Hoa Tien people saw that the pineapple variety was good, so they propagated and planted it along the Cai Lon River. The pineapple tree took root and stood firm until today, which is nearly 100 years. The name Cau Duc pineapple was formed because at that time the locality had a cement bridge across the Cai Lon River. Traders gathered here to buy pineapples to transport and sell everywhere.

Cau Duc pineapple is grown mainly in Vi Thanh city, with nearly 2,500 hectares, yielding 16.78 tons/ha, output of about 40,000 tons/year. With more than 1,000 hectares, Cau Duc pineapple accounts for more than 75% of the agricultural area of ​​Hoa Tien commune. In 2023, the average income per capita of Hoa Tien commune is nearly 75 million VND/year, an increase of 14 million VND compared to 2021. The success of cultivating and developing Cau Duc pineapple has contributed to helping the locality achieve the first model new rural standard of Vi Thanh city in March 2024.

According to comrade Nguyen Huu Tinh, Secretary of Vi Thanh City Party Committee, the city is very interested in developing new rural communes associated with implementing the resolution of Hau Giang Provincial Party Committee on 4 pillars: industry, agriculture, urban areas and tourism, including connecting the tourist route from the city center along Xa No river to Hoa Tien commune.

Hau Giang currently has 175 products recognized as meeting 3-star and 4-star OCOP standards. Of which, 9 products are made from Cau Duc pineapple such as: pineapple wine, pineapple caramel, pineapple jam, pineapple pickles, etc. Vi Thanh City is making efforts to attract investment in building residential areas, markets, and piers to serve as stopping points for tourists visiting Cau Duc pineapple, and as a place to introduce OCOP products. In particular, the locality is instructing people to clear canals and ditches in pineapple fields so that tourists can conveniently visit by boat or canoe. In addition to stabilizing output and creating a sustainable source of income for people, the city is also expanding tourism space associated with experiential tourism right in the pineapple growing area.

Comrade Truong Canh Tuyen, Permanent Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee, shared that after 13 years of implementation, with the drastic direction, strong and synchronous participation of the entire political system and the active participation of Hau Giang people, the National Target Program on New Rural Construction has become a vibrant and widespread movement in the province and achieved many comprehensive achievements. Up to now, the province has 40/51 communes meeting new rural standards, 10 communes meeting advanced new rural standards, 3 communes meeting model new rural standards, 3 district-level units meeting standards/completing the task of building new rural areas. In 2024, Hoa Tien commune, Vi Thanh city will be the first commune to meet model new rural standards and become the 3rd commune to reach the finish line of model new rural commune in the province.

CAO PHONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khom-cau-duc-vi-ngot-cua-vi-thanh-post737669.html