Sharp drop in output makes canarium growers in Huong Son unhappy

Black star fruit is considered a “specialty” of Huong Son district (Ha Tinh) and brings high income to the people. However, this year, due to many factors, black star fruit output has decreased sharply, making growers unhappy.

Due to the reduced yield of the gardens, Ms. Thu Thuy's purchasing was also affected.

Kim Hoa Commune is the locality with the largest number of black canarium trees in Huong Son District with over 400 trees, distributed in 20 villages. Of which, the most are in the villages: Chau Lam, Hong Thuy, Trung Hoa, Hoi Son. This is the harvest season but according to the people, this year's output has decreased sharply compared to 2022.

The canarium garden of Mr. Nguyen Duong Ba's family (78 years old, living in Hoi Son village, Kim Hoa commune) has 5 trees that have just been harvested. Mr. Ba said: "Last year the income from 5 canarium trees was nearly 10 million VND, this year it is only 4 million VND. Due to unfavorable weather, for canarium growers, this harvest is considered a loss."

According to Ms. Phan Thi Thanh Thuy (46 years old, living in Kim Loc village, Kim Hoa commune) - a person with more than 20 years of experience in purchasing black canarium, in addition to Mr. Ba's house in Kim Hoa, large canarium gardens such as Mrs. Cuc's (Cao Tra village) and Ms. Thu's (Xuan Thuy village) have seen a sharp decrease in output, only reaching 50-70% compared to last year.

“Although the output has decreased, the price has not increased much compared to before. The average price in 2022 was 70,000 VND/kg, this year it has “increased” to more than 80,000 VND/kg. Last year, my facility purchased 100 canarium trees for nearly 400 million VND, this year with the same number of trees, it only earned about 250 million VND because the output has decreased,” Ms. Thuy added.

Kim Hoa commune is the locality with the largest number of black canarium trees in Huong Son district with over 400 trees.

According to local people, the reason for the crop failure is that at the beginning of the year, when the canarium flowers bloomed, frost occurred, causing many flowers to fall and few fruits to be produced. Furthermore, this year's intense, prolonged heat has also greatly affected the canarium yield.

Chairman of Kim Hoa Commune People's Committee Phan Van Doai said: "The whole commune has 400 trees for fruit harvest. In 2022, the harvest output reached more than 80 tons, equivalent to more than 5.5 billion VND. This year, although it has entered the peak harvest season, it is estimated that the whole commune only harvested about 50 tons, selling for nearly 4 billion VND".

In addition to the adverse weather effects, many canarium fruits were also damaged.

Not as many as Kim Hoa, but Son Ninh is also considered a "canarium land" with 185 trees. The harvest from black canarium in Son Ninh this year is only about 65 - 70% compared to 2022.

“Although black star fruit has high economic efficiency, it is not stable. Last year the star fruit had a good harvest, this year it has a bad harvest. The black star fruit tree only gives one harvest per year. My family has 3 star fruit trees. In a good year, the income is from 18 to 20 million VND, but this year it is only about 10 million VND,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Su (52 years old, living in Kim Son village, Son Ninh commune).

Ms. Dang Thi Khanh Ly (right) buys canarium at Mr. Nguyen Van Su's household in Kim Son village, Son Ninh commune.

Ms. Dang Thi Khanh Ly - owner of Hung Ly black star fruit facility (a product that meets 3-star OCOP standards in 2021) in Tra Son village, Son Ninh commune said: "Every year, my husband and I hire people to go to the commune's star fruit gardens to buy raw materials to process products. This season, the amount of star fruit harvested is only about 70% compared to 2022, so it affects the production of the facility. Currently, there are quite a lot of orders for salted star fruit and dried star fruit, but I'm afraid there won't be enough raw materials."

Chairman of Son Ninh Commune People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Huy informed: Black star fruit is an easy-to-grow tree, suitable for mountainous areas. Black star fruit is considered a "specialty" commodity, so the commune encourages households to expand their acreage. In 2022, the total output of the commune reached approximately 20 tons, with an income of nearly 1.4 billion VND, many households earning from 15 to 50 million VND. However, this year, the output decreased due to the impact of the weather, causing significant losses for growers. However, according to the assessment, the star fruit still ensures quality.

Hoai Nam

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nong-nghiep/san-luong-giam-manh-nguoi-trong-tram-o-huong-son-kem-vui/252937.htm