Orange season, season of joy

QUANG NINH In recent days, many orange gardens in Van Yen commune (Van Don district) have started the season, each tree is laden with fruit, showing off its golden color in the morning sunlight.

QUANG NINH In recent days, many orange gardens in Van Yen commune (Van Don district) have started the season, each tree is laden with fruit, showing off its golden color in the morning sunlight.

Van Yen orange gardens are in the golden ripening stage. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

Located about 10km from the center of Van Don district, Van Yen commune is hidden among forests and rolling hills. With fresh air and ideal soil conditions, the orange trees here delight visitors from near and far with their irresistible delicious flavor.

At this time, the orange trees are ripening, covering the hillsides and streams with a golden color. Coming to village 10/10, which owns the largest orange acreage in Van Yen commune, we met Ms. Le Thi Bay, who has been growing oranges for more than 20 years.

Welcoming us with a bright and gentle smile, Mrs. Bay took us to visit her family’s fruit-laden orange gardens. On the vast hill with thousands of orange trees, each tree was laden with fruit. In the vast, open space of the mountains and forests, the golden oranges seemed to be embellishing, contributing to the brilliant beauty of nature.

Ms. Le Thi Bay next to her fruit-laden orange garden. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

“The orange trees in Van Yen grow very well, all of them are full of fruit. Even for the orange trees that bear a lot of fruit, I have to use wooden stakes to support and brace them, to prevent the wind from knocking them down or breaking them. This year, due to the impact of the storm, the yield has decreased by about 40% compared to previous years, but fortunately the quality of the oranges is still guaranteed,” Ms. Bay shared.

In recent days, the oranges are gradually ripening, traders have begun to come to the garden to buy, in time to meet the needs of many tourists in and out of the province. According to Mrs. Bay, every early morning there are traders coming to the garden to pick the fruit, the garden owner only needs to stand outside to check and weigh the fruit.

While gently lifting the orange bunches, Mrs. Bay confided: “After working hard all year, this is the time when the people here are happiest. Traders keep coming to pick the fruit, and the oranges are sold out as soon as they ripen. Thanks to these oranges, farmers have nice houses to live in and new cars to drive.”

Orange clusters full of fruit. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

Located about 2 km from Mrs. Bay's orange garden, Mr. Tran Danh Dai's orange garden is also in the golden ripening stage, with all the fruits plump and juicy. Talking to Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, Mr. Dai excitedly shared:

“The oranges have started to be harvested, the estimated price is around 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg. For many years now, every time the orange season comes, traders come to the garden to buy them, I don’t have to take the trouble to bring them to the market to sell, so my income has increased.”

On an area of ​​3 hectares, in addition to growing native oranges and tangerines, Mr. Dai's family also grows some sweet tangerine varieties to increase the choices for diners.

To create a delicious flavor for Van Yen orange trees, in addition to soil conditions, the care process plays a particularly important role. According to Ms. Le Thi Bay, for many years, orange trees have been planted and cared for according to VietGAP standards with organic fertilizers, fertilized 4 times a year and the use of pesticides is minimized.

Looking at the orange orchards with ripe yellow fruits, farmers in Van Yen are even more joyful and excited. Thanks to orange trees, the economic life of farmers is increasingly prosperous, gradually realizing their dream of getting rich on their homeland.

Currently, in Van Yen commune, there are more than 100 households growing oranges with a total area of ​​about 200 hectares. In 2016, Van Yen oranges were recognized as OCOP products of Quang Ninh province and have become the main economic development tree in the locality for many years.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/mua-cam-chin-mua-cua-nhung-niem-vui-d410757.html