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The entire Nghia Hanh district (Quang Ngai province) has more than 790 hectares of fruit trees, of which green-skinned grapefruit is one of the main crops. The main grapefruit season starts from late July to September. To prevent the grapefruit from turning brown and yellow, gardeners must “dress” the grapefruit with sun protection.
Gardeners "dress" grapefruit with sun protection. By: NGUYEN TRANG |
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A grapefruit garden in Hanh Minh commune, Nghia Hanh district. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
Mr. Pham Van Dat (Hanh Minh commune, Nghia Hanh district) has more than 5,000 m2 of fruit trees, including more than 30 green-skinned grapefruit trees. Mr. Dat buys many bags, nylon-mixed fabric bags to cover the grapefruits. This is the way garden owners prevent grapefruits from browning when they are about to harvest, ensuring that the grapefruits ripen evenly and beautifully.
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Mr. Dat is wrapping a grapefruit in a bag to prevent sunburn. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
Mr. Dat said: “This year, grapefruit prices are around 25,000-30,000 VND/kg, the highest is 35,000 VND/kg. Due to the harsh weather, grapefruit flowers have fallen off a lot, now is the main harvest season, to minimize damage and improve the quality of grapefruit, each grapefruit is carefully wrapped.”
According to Mr. Dat, wrapping grapefruit can both protect against heat and prevent pests and insects from entering.
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Grapefruits about to be harvested are carefully wrapped to protect them from the sun, insects, and improve the quality of the fruit. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
Mr. Huynh Sum (Hanh Minh commune, Nghia Hanh district) said: “If the grapefruit is not covered, the grapefruit peel will be slightly red-yellow, sunken, bruised, and when eaten, it will have a burnt smell, so I have to cover it from the sun, especially in places where the sunlight shines directly. Too much light is not good for grapefruit growth.”
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Mr. Sum uses areca spathe to cover the grapefruit from the sun. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
Mr. Sum's garden covers an area of over 3,500 m2 , including over 150 grapefruit trees, which are the main trees in the garden. He has been growing grapefruit for over 8 years, and every year he propagates new varieties. Mr. Sum said: "Last year, I sold 3 tons of grapefruit at a price of 30,000-35,000 VND/kg, this year the price is also 30,000 VND/kg, but unfortunately the grapefruit crop failed due to a high rate of flower loss, up to 50%".
Mr. Sum also learned how to use biological products to fertilize fruit trees, improve the soil surface for perennial crops, and thus make the grapefruit more beautiful.
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Mr. Sum also used coconut leaves to cover the grapefruits when he had removed the cloth bags, waiting for traders to come and buy. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
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Grapefruits weighing 1.5 - 1.8 kg are popular in the market. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhat Le, Vice Chairman of Hanh Minh Commune People's Committee said: "Hanh Minh Commune has 20 hectares of large fruit trees, mainly grapefruit, rambutan, durian, etc. This year's weather is very harsh, so the grapefruit fruiting rate is more difficult, so gardeners need to preserve the quality of the fruit to sell for a higher price."
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