The Dien pomelo tree in Tan Lap

Tan Lap commune, Thanh Son district, is currently in the season of Dien pomelos – a type of citrus fruit that once flourished in this region. Throughout Tan Lap at this time of year, you'll see the golden color of ripe pomelos everywhere. The orchards laden with fruit bring a sense of prosperity and abundance to the people of this highland commune.

The Vice Chairman of the Tan Lap Commune People's Committee, Mr. Doan Thanh Binh, is quite young. Over a cup of tea in the Commune People's Committee office, we discussed the Dien pomelo trees grown in Tan Lap over the past years.

Mr. Binh recounted: Around 2008-2009, the Dien pomelo tree began to be transplanted and planted in Tan Lap by some households from Phuc Tho ( Hanoi ) who had settled there and brought it up to try planting it. The trees thrived, grew strong, and were free from pests. Seeing that the soil was suitable, that it had potential as a new fruit tree, and that there was ample land available, a number of households began visiting and observing, then returned to renovate their existing orchards and expand the area planted with Dien pomelo trees.

From the initial households who were just experimenting, after more than 15 years, Tan Lap now has over 100 households participating in the cultivation of Dien pomelos, increasing the area to over 111 hectares across all residential areas. During its heyday, the Dien pomelo tree helped many households in Tan Lap escape poverty and is considered the main fruit crop of the locality, with clear planning, projects, and directions from the district level. In 2018, the commune began implementing a project to renovate unproductive orchards and switch to intensive cultivation of Dien pomelos on a large scale. Funding, effort, and scientific and technological advancements were poured into Tan Lap with the hope of transforming it into a key Dien pomelo growing area of the district, a crop that would help people escape poverty.

Recognizing the potential of pomelo cultivation in Tan Lap commune, and aiming to expand market access and establish a brand identity, in 2021 the commune established a pomelo farming cooperative with 20 households possessing large land areas and good farming skills to begin developing OCOP products – a way to elevate the brand and quality of Dien pomelo in Tan Lap.

The integrated farming model of growing Dien pomelos combined with livestock farming implemented by Mr. Dinh Van Nghi's household in Nua Ha area, with over 400 trees, has already yielded a harvest.

Mr. Dao Sinh Thai, an official from the Tan Lap Commune People's Committee, said: "During the peak period, my family had 1 hectare of Dien pomelos. In good years, we had a very big Tet celebration. The entire orchard was filled with ripe, golden pomelos, fetching good prices, and traders flocked to buy them. Every pomelo grower was bustling and excited. Many areas and households prospered from pomelo cultivation, leading to a significant increase in planted area. For example, Mr. Dang Dinh Dien in Ha Thanh area has over 2 hectares, Mr. Dinh Van Nghi in Nua Ha area has over 1 hectare, and Mr. Ngoc Van Chung in Chung area has over 3.5 hectares... Many areas have hundreds of households growing Dien pomelos, such as Nua Ha, Tram 1, 2... Currently, Tan Lap harvests about 200,000 Dien pomelos annually, in addition to other crops like green pomelos, lemons, jackfruit, and yellow bananas..."

After a period of high prices and large planted areas, the Dien pomelo trees in Tan Lap are now facing difficulties due to low prices. Many households have gradually converted a portion of their land to growing green-skinned pomelos, lemons, etc., by grafting them onto Dien pomelo rootstock. Given the unfavorable situation for the Dien pomelo trees, the commune has encouraged residents to increase the area planted with grafted green-skinned pomelos, lemons, and yellow bananas.

Tan Lap currently has 14% of households living in poverty (a 4% decrease compared to before the 27th Party Congress of the commune), and pomelo remains the main crop helping many households escape poverty. Continuing to transform economic models, including citrus fruit cultivation, will be the direction for Tan Lap in the coming time, with the motto of not letting the land lie idle and making the most of the existing land to build new livelihood models for the people.

Minh Tu

Source: https://baophutho.vn/cay-buoi-dien-o-tan-lap-222699.htm