Affirming the value of local specialty trees
Not only famous in the Tam Dao mountain tourist area, chayote has now become a main crop in many villages at the foot of the mountain such as Dong Thanh, Lang Ha (Tam Dao commune). People here mainly grow and harvest chayote shoots, which are popular because of their crispness, sweetness and ease of processing. Mr. Luu Van Duong, Head of Dong Thanh village, said: The whole village currently has 24 hectares of chayote, accounting for more than 70% of the cultivated area.
Tam Dao farmers urgently set up trellises and take care of chayote plants after the impact of storm No. 10.
Chayote is mainly grown from the first month of the 7th - 8th lunar month, and can be harvested after 2 to 3 months. However, in 2025, Chayote growers in Tam Dao faced difficulties when they were continuously affected by two storms No. 10 and No. 11, causing heavy rains and flooding, severely damaging the entire crop area and seedlings. Many households growing Chayote lost everything and had to replant from the beginning. Ms. Luu Thi Thu, Lang Ha village - who has been growing Chayote for more than 10 years, shared: "My family has 7 sao, each sao earns about 50 - 60 million VND/crop if the weather is favorable and the harvest is good. But this year, the storms ruined everything, now we have to spend a ton of Chayote seeds for each sao to replant."
Quality chayote varieties contribute to ensuring productivity and quality of new vegetable crops by the end of 2025
Chayote trees in Tam Dao have been grown according to VietGAP standards for many years. This production process requires farmers to strictly follow the steps from soil improvement, using organic fertilizers, controlling water sources to harvesting and preserving products. Dong Thanh village chief Luu Van Duong said: Cultivating chayote according to VietGAP standards requires more time and effort than traditional growing methods, because farmers have to compost organic fertilizers, control diseases and thoroughly improve the soil. Although it is more difficult, in return, Tam Dao chayote products are of high quality, safe for consumers, and are trusted by traders and the market to buy at prices 10-20% higher than usual.
When harvesting chayote, people often sell it in the field to traders to take to wholesale markets in and outside the province, and even to some foreign customers. In January, when the weather is cold in the mountains (usually below 10 degrees Celsius), the chayote plants do not grow well, so people transport the vegetables to the tourist area on the mountain to supply and serve the consumption needs of tourists.
However, despite its good quality and well-known local brand, Tam Dao chayote still faces difficulties in consumption and promotion because the product has not yet built its own brand or been certified as an OCOP product, the production scale is still small, and there is a lack of connection between households, making prices unstable. In the past two years, output has shown signs of slowing down, while the cost of fertilizers and seeds has increased. "We hope to receive more support in terms of plant varieties, microbial fertilizers and brand promotion programs," said Mr. Duong.
To develop into a commodity with high added value
Although the Tam Dao chayote plant has been known to many people and has high value. However, in order to build an agricultural product brand, aiming to develop chayote into a commodity plant, increasing its value, the local government and Tam Dao people need to make more efforts to expand the scale of production, improve the quality and enhance the brand value of this agricultural product. The clean chayote growing model according to VietGAP standards needs to continue to be replicated; agricultural cooperatives are encouraged to be established to increase the ability to link consumption and create product reputation in the market.
The new green shoots of chayote signal a hopeful season.
The development direction of combining chayote production with eco-tourism is the inherent strength of Tam Dao. If in the past, tourists were only familiar with the dish "chayote" in the restaurants on the mountain top, now they can completely expand their experience of visiting clean chayote growing areas, picking vegetables in the garden, and learning about the cultivation process. This not only helps promote the Tam Dao chayote brand but also contributes to diversifying income sources for local people.
The “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) program is opening up new opportunities for Tam Dao chayote to be certified and increase its value. Currently, the villages are coordinating with the commune authorities to complete the application for the provincial OCOP product certificate. When meeting the standards and being granted this certificate, Tam Dao chayote will have the opportunity to be consumed, widely promoted and build a more sustainable brand. Not only stopping at traditional crops, the people here want to be trained and coached in modern cultivation techniques, using microbial fertilizers and high-yield varieties to reduce costs and increase production efficiency.
Although there are still many difficulties in the process of building a brand and products that meet OCOP standards, the image of green chayote beds gradually reviving after the storm, farmers still diligently cultivating, believing in a new crop. When each green vegetable is not only an agricultural product but also contains a story of labor, perseverance and aspiration to rise, the journey to conquer the OCOP market of Tam Dao chayote will not be far away.
Ngoc Anh
Source: https://baophutho.vn/giu-vung-thuong-hieu-nang-cao-gia-tri-cua-rau-su-su-tam-dao-241660.htm
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