Ensuring quality standards of star apple fruit for export market

Star apple is one of the fruits that is very popular in the market, because the fruit has a fragrant flavor, moderate sweetness and to enjoy star apple, you have to wait until the harvest season, because star apple only has fruit once a year. Therefore, although it is a delicious fruit, linking consumption with companies and businesses is difficult, because the supply to serve the export market is not continuous. In recent years, the above problem has been solved, when a number of cooperatives specializing in growing star apple have grown the four-season star apple variety that bears fruit all year round, along with applying measures to treat star apples that bear fruit in the off-season, so the supply to serve the export market is more favorable, contributing to increasing income for cooperative members and promoting the star apple brand of each growing region in Can Tho City.

Purple star apple and pink avocado star apple are rated 4 stars OCOP.

Being the first cooperative in Soc Trang province (old) to export purple star apple fruit to the US market in 2018, Trinh Phu Agricultural Cooperative, An Lac Thon Commune, Can Tho City, has been providing a stable output of star apple fruit, according to the needs of the purchasing company, for export to many countries around the world. Mr. Ho Van Hoi, Director of Trinh Phu Agricultural Cooperative, shared that since the cooperative's star apple fruit was purchased by the company for export to the US market, the cooperative has always been aware of the need to maintain and improve the quality of the fruit, especially strictly following the technical process of fruit production according to the requirements of the purchasing company so that the star apple fruit meets the standards.

Due to the application of food safety production processes, Trinh Phu Agricultural Cooperative's star apples were ranked as 4-star OCOP products (in 2020) and have maintained the 4-star rating to date. Since then, many domestic companies and enterprises have sought out and signed contracts to sell star apples from the Cooperative, with purchase prices 20-50% higher than market prices; traders also come to the Cooperative to purchase star apples at prices 2,000-5,000 VND/kg higher than market prices, significantly increasing income for Cooperative members.

Mr. Ho Van Hoi added that the cooperative only specializes in growing purple star apple trees, with an area of 32 hectares, an output of more than 480 tons/year and the entire area has been granted a growing area code. To ensure that star apples meet safe quality standards for the export market, the entire cultivation area applies VietGAP procedures, of which 10 hectares are being produced in an organic direction. Along with the cultivation procedures to ensure clean star apples, the cooperative also implements the fruit wrapping process and applies spread-crop cultivation techniques. Star apples are usually harvested in the main season from November to January of the following year. When applying the spread-crop flowering technique, the harvest season will be extended until the end of April. The selling price of off-season star apples is from 45,000 to 65,000 VND/kg. According to calculations, 1 hectare of purple star apples brings in an income of more than 400 million VND/year.

At My Phuoc High-Tech Application and Community Tourism Cooperative, Nhon My Commune, Can Tho City, purple star apples are harvested year-round. Mr. Tran Anh Nhan, Director of My Phuoc High-Tech Application and Community Tourism Cooperative, shared that the cooperative has an area of over 50 hectares growing purple star apples, of which 35 hectares are grown organically, with more than 11 hectares producing stable fruit that have been granted a growing area code, with an output of nearly 400 tons of fruit per year. The entire output of fruit after harvest has been purchased by businesses and affiliated companies to sell to high-end stores and serve the export market, with star apples selling for 30,000-80,000 VND/kg (depending on the time).

Mr. Tran Anh Nhan said that the four-season purple star apple fruit of My Phuoc High-Tech Application and Community Tourism Cooperative is known for achieving 4-star OCOP standards in 2022 and maintaining the 4-star OCOP rating when re-evaluated in 2025. Currently, the cooperative's star apple garden is flowering, with large and small batches of fruit of all sizes and a few are being harvested. To promote the advantage of 4-star OCOP products, the cooperative maintains good organic fruit cultivation, applying scientific and technical advances to cultivation, in order to minimize costs and increase profits for cooperative members.

With the advantage of weighing more than 500 grams/fruit and having delicious sweetness and beautiful color, the pink avocado milk fruit of Xom Dong 2 Agricultural Cooperative, Thoi An Hoi Commune, Can Tho City is very popular in the market. Mr. Tran Van Phuong, Director of Xom Dong 2 Agricultural Cooperative, said: “The cooperative has an area of 38 hectares of pink butter apples, of which more than 21 hectares have been granted a growing area code. In the 2023-2024 milk apple crop season alone (the crop season from October of the previous lunar year to February of the following lunar year), the cooperative's milk apple growing area will produce 210 tons, of which 180 tons will be consumed in high-end stores and supermarkets, and 30 tons will be exported. To maintain the quality and output of milk apples that have been ranked 4 stars OCOP, the cooperative will strictly follow the cultivation process of the specialized industry and strictly implement the regulations of importers and purchasing enterprises.”

Mr. Tran Vinh Nghi, Deputy Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Can Tho City, informed that in order to continue improving the quality of fruits serving the domestic and export markets, especially star apples, the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection will strengthen training and transfer of scientific and technical advances to cooperatives specializing in growing star apples and gardeners; propagate and mobilize gardeners to comply with the correct cultivation process as required by the purchasing company and maintain the reputation according to the terms of the contract for buying and selling exported fruit products that have been signed; maintain the growing area code; cultivate fruits to ensure food hygiene and safety, and fruit quality after harvest.

Article and photos: THUY LIEU

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/dam-bao-tieu-chuan-chat-luong-trai-vu-sua-phuc-vu-thi-truong-xuat-khau-a188805.html