Farmers improve grapefruit growing techniques to earn 2 billion VND per year

Ho Chi Minh City After many failures in growing green-skinned grapefruit, Mr. Vu Dinh Tu (Binh Chanh) found ways to improve, invest in irrigation systems and planting and care techniques, bringing in large revenues.

Mr. Tu (58 years old), residing in Pham Van Hai commune (Binh Chanh) was originally a farmer specializing in growing industrial tree seedlings such as acacia, cajuput and some fruit trees. In 2011, when he rented 2 hectares of land, he decided to grow green-skinned grapefruit. He bought seedlings from his partners in Ben Tre province to try planting on a scale of 2 hectares, each hectare had about 500 trees. The investment for both seedlings and other costs for each tree was from 200,000 - 300,000 VND to 1 million VND.

Without proper care techniques, he failed in the first year. Many grapefruit trees were attacked by leaf-eating pests, sucking organisms and lacked water. Improper fertilization resulted in low fruit set rates, stunted fruit and bad shape. "Some trees had yellow leaves, rotten roots and then died, had to be uprooted and replanted, and lost tens of millions of dong," said Mr. Tu. Not giving up, he researched successful grapefruit growing models to learn from, and went online to read technical care documents from agricultural experts.

Mr. Tu next to the green-skinned grapefruit garden he grows in Hamlet 4, Pham Van Hai Commune (Binh Chanh). Photo: NVCC — Mr. Tu next to the green-skinned grapefruit garden he grows in Hamlet 4, Pham Van Hai Commune (Binh Chanh). Photo: *NVCC*

He invested in an automatic irrigation system with mist nozzles, costing more than 50 million VND per hectare, and 2 pressure sprayers for pest control using motor pumps, helping to reduce labor. Learning from his experience in fertilizing, he limited inorganic fertilizers and composted organic fertilizer from aquatic by-products to fertilize the plants.

His constant efforts have helped him reap sweet rewards. The initial yield was about 7-8 tons per hectare per year, increasing to 10 tons after 3-5 years. On average, he earns more than 300 million VND per hectare per year. Up to now, Mr. Tu has expanded from 2 to 6 hectares, creating jobs for 7-10 regular workers.

In 2021, Mr. Tu's green-skinned grapefruit garden was granted a 3-star OCOP certificate by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee under the One Commune One Product program. With the OCOP label, Mr. Tu sees it as an opportunity to build a product brand, so that consumers have confidence in Vietnamese agricultural products and help green-skinned grapefruit have better output and higher prices. He plans to continue expanding production, meeting output requirements so that he can bring products into the supermarket system.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mao, Head of the Green-Skin Grapefruit Cooperative in Pham Van Hai Commune (Binh Chanh) said that from a seedling grower, Mr. Tu switched to fruit trees with higher economic value. He researched and composted organic fertilizer from low-value aquatic products to fertilize the grapefruit trees to help them grow better. "With the initial successes, he did not keep them for himself but guided many other members of the cooperative on the techniques of growing green-skin grapefruit to help farmers get rich on their homeland," Ms. Mao said, adding that Mr. Tu had won the title of excellent farmer at the city level for many years.

Ha An

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