New hope in the banana-growing region of Lien Khe.

The banana-growing region of Lien Khe, now Luu Kiem ward (Hai Phong), is preparing for the Tet holiday with high price forecasts after a season of total crop failure due to Typhoon Yagi.

The Liên Khê banana plantations stretch out in a vast expanse of green, interspersed with sacks tightly wrapped around bunches of bananas, ready for the 2026 Lunar New Year harvest.

High price forecast

It's November in the lunar calendar, and the banana plantations of Lien Khe stretch out in a vast expanse of green. Under the dry, late-year sun, each bunch of bananas is laden with fruit. Each bunch is beginning to ripen, signaling the approaching harvest of the Tet banana crop. Throughout the fields, sacks tightly wrapped around bunches of bananas stand out against the deep green foliage, foreshadowing a bountiful harvest for the local banana growers.

In the midst of her banana plantation, which is in its peak cultivation period, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong diligently sets up ladders and carefully ties each bunch of bananas to prevent them from breaking or falling. Not only that, she also uses sacks to wrap the bunches to limit pests and diseases, protect them from frost that can cause cracking, and help the bananas curve evenly, look bright, and fetch a good price. Ms. Huong said that her family grows nearly 300 dwarf banana trees, of which nearly 150 bunches are timed for harvesting just in time for the Lunar New Year. “Each bunch of bananas averages about 8 hands, and a beautiful bunch can have up to 10 hands. During Tet, some bunches can sell for over a million dong, so the care must be meticulous,” Ms. Huong said.

Locals are excitedly anticipating a successful banana harvest for Tet (Lunar New Year) with high prices, after a year of total crop losses due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi in 2024.

Adjacent to Ms. Huong's family's banana plantation is the dwarf banana plantation of Mr. Nguyen Huy Dung, in residential group No. 7 (Luu Kiem ward). Mr. Dung said that his family has 1.2 acres of banana plantations. However, the 2025 Tet banana crop was completely lost due to Typhoon Yagi in 2024, which knocked down the trees. From the beginning of 2025, any surviving banana saplings were replanted to fill the plantation. Therefore, like many other banana growers in the residential group, his family could not control the timing of the harvest. Moreover, this year had two leap months in the lunar calendar, causing the bananas to ripen early. "My plantation has nearly 200 bunches of bananas, most of which were harvested in October of the lunar calendar. Currently, only about 50 bunches remain for the Tet crop in 2026," Mr. Dung informed.

The early ripening of bananas has caused significant market fluctuations. Previously, bananas were priced at around 130-150 thousand VND per bunch, but now they have risen to over 300 thousand VND per bunch. According to banana growers' predictions, the price of bananas for Tet (Lunar New Year) this year is likely to continue rising due to reduced supply, possibly increasing to over 1 million to 2 million VND per bunch.

According to Mr. Ngo Van Giang, Deputy Director of Lien Khe Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative (Luu Kiem Ward), banana trees have a long-standing connection with the local people. Currently, the entire Lien Khe area has about 170 hectares of dwarf banana trees belonging to nearly 300 households. Thanks to suitable natural conditions and banana cultivation experience, Lien Khe bananas have exceptional quality: curved, large, plump fruits, evenly sized bunches, bright green peels, and a sweet, fragrant taste when ripe. The average banana production reaches 7,170 tons per year, mainly serving the Lunar New Year market and bringing in an income of 8-12 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), 6-7 times higher than rice cultivation, contributing to improving the lives of local people.

Local people are busy reinforcing their banana trees to ensure a successful harvest for the upcoming Tet holiday.

Opening new paths

Besides preserving native banana varieties, Lien Khe is introducing tissue-cultured South American bananas for trial planting this year. According to Mr. Ngo Van Giang, Deputy Director of the Lien Khe Agricultural Production, Business and Service Cooperative, starting in early 2025, the locality will receive free tissue-cultured South American banana seedlings from the Hanoi Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Research and the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture.

Initially, because the seedlings were only about a handspan in size, many households were hesitant and didn't dare to try planting them. Only about 500 tissue-cultured South American banana plants were planted throughout the region. However, now, as the Tet harvest approaches, the effectiveness of this banana variety is clearly evident. Tissue-cultured South American bananas have the advantage of being disease-free, vigorous, high-yielding, and uniformly harvested. While native bananas are in their final stages, with wilting leaves affecting the quality of the bunch, tissue-cultured South American bananas maintain their deep green color from the base to the top leaves even as the bunch nears harvest. Notably, this banana variety is not picky about soil and is well-suited to the farming conditions in Lien Khe.

Lien Khe bananas will gradually be replaced with tissue-cultured South American bananas to increase productivity and economic efficiency.

Mr. Ngo Van Hung, residing in residential area 2, Lien Khe, is one of the pioneering households, having planted up to 100 tissue-cultured South American banana trees. According to Mr. Hung, South American banana bunches are larger, longer, and have greener fruit, making them more aesthetically pleasing than native bananas. However, native bananas still have the advantage of a sweet and fragrant flavor. Based on this observation, a delegation from the Hanoi Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Research and the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture visited Lien Khe's banana plantation to collect banana rootstock for research on crossbreeding South American bananas with native bananas, aiming to create a new banana variety that is both high-yielding and retains the characteristic quality of Lien Khe bananas. It is projected that by 2026, the Lien Khe banana growing area will expand the area of ​​tissue-cultured South American bananas to approximately 10 hectares.

Alongside crop variety innovation, building a long-term brand is identified as a key factor for the sustainable development of Lien Khe bananas. Since 2016, Lien Khe bananas have been granted a collective trademark protection certificate by the Intellectual Property Office for "Lien Khe Bananas, Thuy Nguyen - Hai Phong". By 2021, the product achieved a 3-star OCOP rating from the city.

However, the management, exploitation, and development of the brand need further improvement. Simultaneously, expanding connections with businesses that will purchase the product is crucial as local people begin to widely cultivate tissue-cultured South American bananas. This will open up a sustainable path for Lien Khe bananas, not only serving the market during the Lunar New Year but also securing the long-term future of this specialty banana region.

BUI HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/hy-vong-moi-o-vung-chuoi-lien-khe-530527.html