The "sour, sweet" taste of lemon

STO - Many lemon farmers in Soc Trang used to complain that there had never been a harvest season when lemon prices were as low as during the period from May to July of the lunar calendar. The price of lemons purchased by traders at the garden was only 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kg, which affected the income of lemon growers, some even suffered losses. However, now the selling price of lemons has improved, and lemon growers are starting to enjoy the "sweet fruit".

Mr. Tang Van Vu, Phung An Hamlet, An My Commune, Ke Sach District (Soc Trang) shared that his family's purple-flowered lemon garden has been harvesting fruit for the past 6 years. This lemon variety has the characteristic of growing in clusters, a cluster of up to 10 - 15 fruits, the lemons are not only fruitful but also bear fruit all year round. The lemons are dark green, thin-skinned, have few seeds, are juicy, have a mild sour taste, and are refreshing when eaten, so they are very popular in the market. Seeing the economic benefits, he converted 0.4 hectares of rice land to grow lemons. The lemon trees were planted for about 24 months and then each month there were lemons to harvest.

“The time when lemons bear the most fruit in the year is the 4th and 5th lunar months and have good prices from November of the previous year to May of the following lunar year, prices range from 5,000 - 15,000 VND/kg (depending on the time). However, in 3 consecutive months (from May to July of the lunar calendar), the price of lemons has dropped sharply, greatly affecting my family's income. It is estimated that I lost 12 million VND, both in investment costs and in hiring workers to pick the lemons to help the trees grow well. Currently, the price of lemons has increased, compared to the same period last year, this year the price of lemons has doubled to 12,000 VND/kg. The lemon growing area of 0.4 hectares gives an annual profit of more than 100 million VND, an income many times higher than when I was growing rice before,” Mr. Tang Van Vu added.

Mr. Tang Van Vu, Phung An hamlet, An My commune, Ke Sach district (Soc Trang) next to his purple lime garden that brings in an income of over 100 million VND/year. Photo: THUY LIEU

Having grown lemon trees and purple-flowered lemon trees for the past 9 years, Ms. Le Thanh Thuy, Phung An hamlet, An My commune, has found that lemon trees are easy to grow, require little care, produce fruit all year round, and do not require technical treatment to stimulate flowering or preserve fruit like some other fruit trees, so the investment cost is low. "My family's lemon garden used to be over 9,000 ^{square meters} , grown in a specialized form. At that time, lemons were sold for 12,000 - 20,000 VND/kg, bringing a good income for the family. After 7 years, the lemon garden was old, so I cut it down, switched to growing bananas and continued to intercrop lemons in the banana garden. Up to now, lemons have been harvested for 2 years, the fruit output is over 1 ton/month, after deducting costs, the profit is about 5 million VND/month. When the price of lemons decreased, my profit from selling lemons only decreased by about 50%. Now, the amount of money earned from selling lemons will be better than the same period last year, because the price is more than double. The intercropping lemon garden brings my family an income of more than 100 million VND/year", Ms. Le Thanh Thuy confided.

With many years of experience, Mr. Le Thanh Chieu, An Trung Hamlet, An Thanh 1 Commune, Cu Lao Dung District (Soc Trang) commented: “I have grown a number of fruit trees, sugarcane and vegetables, so I see that if the price of lemons is stable at 6,000 VND/kg or more, the gardener will make a profit. My family's purple-flowered lemon growing area is 1 hectare, and the lemons are grown in a specialized form. To have high yield, good quality and ensure the health of consumers, I choose to grow lemons according to VietGAP standards. This cultivation process has helped reduce production investment costs. To achieve the desired lemon yield, I apply techniques for flowering and fruit care for lemons at the right time in the months when lemons have the highest selling price of the year.”

According to Mr. Le Thanh Chieu, with the above lemon farming method, during the months when lemon prices dropped, the family's income was not much affected, only decreasing by about 10 million VND/3 months. With 1 hectare of lemon growing, the investment cost for the whole crop is more than 20 million VND, but the profit is more than 200 million VND /year. Currently, the price of lemon has increased for more than 20 days and is expected to continue to increase in the coming time."

Comrade Tran Vinh Nghi - Deputy Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Soc Trang informed that the total area of lemon cultivation in the province is 2,528 hectares, of which the area of seedless lemon is 1,015 hectares, purple-flowered lemon is 1,441 hectares, and other lemons are 72 hectares. Lemons are grown mainly in the districts of Ke Sach; Cu Lao Dung, Long Phu, Chau Thanh and Nga Nam town. Most lemons are grown in the form of intercropping with other crops, because lemons are easy to grow and have strong vitality. Intercropping lemons with other crops helps gardeners increase their income on the same production land area. Like many other fruit trees, to achieve good lemon yields, farmers should buy seedlings with clear origins; cultivate lemons according to VietGAP processes, in an organic direction to reduce cultivation costs. Note that before planting lemons, farmers must check whether the natural conditions of the local land are suitable for the growth of lemon trees or not...

Lemons are used to prepare dishes or make drinks that are very good for human health. Lemons from Soc Trang province are mainly sold to the market in the province and some neighboring provinces. There are no companies or businesses that guarantee the output. Therefore, to ensure the output of lemons, farmers need to avoid planting lemons en masse.

THUY LIEU

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