Unlike many fruit trees that are harvested once a year, green-skinned grapefruit is harvested year-round, with prices fluctuating depending on the time, helping farmers earn a good income.
Ms. Pham Thi Hong Thuy's family in village 7, Long Binh commune, Phu Rieng district has 3 hectares of green-skinned grapefruit that are being harvested. During the last Tet season, she sold about 5 tons of grapefruit, and since the beginning of the year, the family has been harvesting continuously, finishing one batch and then harvesting another.
To have a stable and regular income, her family lets the trees bear natural fruit to sell all year round. On average, every 10 days she cuts a batch of ripe fruit and sells it to traders. Currently in the rainy season, grapefruit trees are susceptible to many pests and diseases such as needle fungus, mealybugs, thrips that cause the bark to crack, the tree to dry out, and the flowers and young fruits to fall off, so she often visits the garden to prevent and treat them in time. "Previously, I grew cashews in this area, and I only harvested one crop a year, so my family's economy was always in short supply. Since switching to growing green-skin grapefruit with year-round harvests, my economy has improved, and I have the conditions to take care of my family and my children's education," Thuy shared.
Green-skinned grapefruit is a high-income crop in the locality. Farmers who master the techniques and take good care of their gardens have a stable income. With only 4 sao of green-skinned grapefruit, each year, Nguyen Mau Hung's family in village 7, Long Binh commune earns more than 200 million VND after deducting expenses. With less land, he plants trees with a higher density. According to Hung, planting more densely will result in fewer fruits, but in return, the skin will not be darkened or broken. The important thing is to know how to prune the branches and create a canopy to avoid pests and aphids; fertilize and water the trees sufficiently so that they grow well and produce even, beautiful fruit. "If you want to harvest fruit all year round, you need to take care of the trees and fruits more meticulously, because there are many different batches of fruit on the same tree. In return, the growers have a regular, stable income," Hung shared.
The fruit growing cooperative in village 7, Long Binh commune has 14 members, mainly growing grapefruit and durian, including about 25 hectares of green-skin grapefruit. The members of the group regularly exchange experiences in pest control and market research. Because of the close connection, the grapefruit produced by the members is always fully consumed. According to the gardeners, the cost of investing in fertilizer during the fruiting stage is quite low, so the growers get quite a profit. In particular, grapefruit gardens that are well cared for and apply scientific and technical advances to grow according to VietGAP standards will have high productivity and sell for a higher price.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Head of the Fruit Tree Cooperative of Long Binh Commune, said that compared to other crops, green-skinned grapefruit is easy to grow and its products are easy to consume. Therefore, the cooperative members prioritize the development of this fruit tree.
Ms. Hoang Thi Anh, Vice President of the Farmers' Association of Long Binh Commune, said that the local land is very suitable for growing fruit trees, including grapefruit. Local people grow a lot of grapefruit, so consumption is convenient, and traders come to the garden to buy. "Many experienced households, in addition to taking care of their family grapefruit gardens, also instruct many people around them on how to grow and care for green-skin grapefruit. This is a crop chosen by many farmers in the commune," Ms. Anh said.
Green-skinned grapefruit is widely grown in Binh Phuoc. Currently, many farmers let the trees bear fruit all year round. With this method, people have a continuous income and a stable life.
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