Doan Hung grapefruit seeks new direction to reach international market

Photo caption — Area of specialty grapefruit in Doan Hung district ( Phu Tho ). Photo: VNA

Not only is it a famous specialty, Doan Hung grapefruit also brings high economic value, contributing significantly to the sustainable agricultural development of Phu Tho province. However, facing new market requirements and integration challenges, this specialty crop needs a new direction to affirm its position, increase its value and expand its consumption market.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Phu Tho, the total area of Doan Hung grapefruit is currently over 2,706 hectares, of which 1,350 hectares form 95 concentrated production areas, mainly in the communes of Bang Luan, Tay Coc, Chi Dam, Chan Mong and Doan Hung town. Many growing areas have been granted VietGAP certification, 49 growing area codes have been granted and managed, and labels with geographical indications have been affixed, helping the product gain a firm foothold in the national market.

Doan Hung grapefruit has been honored three times as “Golden Agricultural Brand of Vietnam”. In 2006, the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) granted a certificate of protection for the geographical indication “Doan Hung”, recognizing it as a national asset, protected indefinitely by the State. Thanks to that, the Doan Hung grapefruit brand has been increasingly affirmed, becoming a key agricultural product of Phu Tho province.

Nowadays, grapefruit trees are not only a source of pride but also the main source of income for thousands of households in the region. Many households in Bang Luan, Tay Coc, Chi Dam… earn hundreds of millions of dong each year from growing grapefruit, contributing significantly to the shift in the agricultural economic structure towards commodity production.

However, in addition to the achieved results, Doan Hung grapefruit production still shows many limitations. First of all, the production scale is still small, fragmented, mainly by households, lacking value chain linkage. The formation of large concentrated production areas with the participation of enterprises and cooperatives is still limited.

The consumption of products is currently mainly through traders, causing grapefruit growers to face many risks when the market fluctuates. Meanwhile, the transport infrastructure in many growing areas has not been invested synchronously, affecting the transportation, harvesting and consumption of products. The entire region has almost no system of warehouses for preservation, preliminary processing, processing or modern packaging lines, leading to high post-harvest losses and difficulty in expanding the market.

The application of science and technology in production is still limited. Many households still cultivate based on experience, without synchronously applying advanced technical processes in breeding, intensive farming, care, and pest control. Therefore, productivity and quality are not stable, and economic efficiency is not commensurate with potential.

In addition, trade promotion, advertising and product introduction activities are still vague. For many years, the Doan Hung Grapefruit Festival, an event once considered a highlight of brand promotion, has not been held regularly, making the building of the specialty image not really prominent. Although attention has been paid to the management of varieties, protection of brands and collective trademarks, the effectiveness is still not high.

Mr. Dinh Cong Su, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said that in order to overcome limitations and promote potentials, the People's Committee of Phu Tho province has issued many specific instructions on reviewing and comprehensively assessing the current situation of Doan Hung grapefruit area, thereby proposing appropriate mechanisms and policies for the new period. The goal is to develop Doan Hung grapefruit in the direction of concentrated commodity production areas, applying high technology, associated with brand building and expanding export markets.

Accordingly, the province has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Phu Tho to preside over and coordinate with departments, branches and localities to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented grapefruit development programs and projects; at the same time, propose new mechanisms and policies to continue supporting production development. The agricultural sector quickly coordinated with the Northern Mountainous Agricultural and Forestry Science Institute and the Plant Protection Institute to implement research programs, select and create high-quality grapefruit varieties with few seeds, adaptable to climate change; apply technical advances to cultivation, preservation and post-harvest processing.

The province also assigned the Department of Science and Technology to guide, protect and effectively develop the geographical indication “Doan Hung Grapefruit”; at the same time, support funding for research and application of scientific results in production. The Department of Industry and Trade will promote trade promotion activities, expand consumption channels inside and outside the province, diversify promotional forms, and aim for export.

Along with that, the Provincial Cooperative Union deployed support for the construction and development of cooperatives and enterprises processing and consuming grapefruit products, and at the same time mobilized capital from the Cooperative Development Fund to invest in grapefruit development projects. The grapefruit communes were assigned to review the planning, form safe and concentrated production areas, and be granted growing area codes, meeting the requirements of traceability.

In particular, Bang Luan commune will coordinate with other communes in the region to organize the Doan Hung Grapefruit Festival, expected to coincide with the first batch of grapefruit exported to the US to promote the image of local specialties, combine agricultural tourism development and attract investment.

According to Mr. Dinh Cong Su, in the trend of integration and development of high-tech agriculture, building a standard Doan Hung grapefruit production area, ensuring food safety, having a growing area code and traceability is an inevitable requirement. Along with that, researching and developing processed grapefruit products such as essential oils, jams, juices, etc. will open up new directions, increase value and reduce pressure on fresh consumption.

Reorganizing production according to the value chain and promoting the linkage of "four houses" (farmers - businesses - scientists - the state) will be the key to building the Doan Hung grapefruit brand to develop sustainably and reach out to the world market.

With the attention and direction of the province, along with the efforts of the people and businesses, Doan Hung grapefruit is facing a great opportunity to affirm its position on the map of Vietnamese agricultural products. From a local specialty product, Doan Hung grapefruit can completely become a strong agricultural brand, of national stature, the pride of the land of Hung Kings.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/buoi-doan-hung-tim-huong-di-moi-de-vuon-ra-thi-truong-quoc-te-20251104064452629.htm