La Hien: Focus on economic development from citrus trees

Previously, the hillsides in La Hien commune were mainly planted with timber trees. Now, many areas are covered with fruit trees such as oranges, grapefruits and tangerines, bringing stable income to the people, contributing to reducing the poverty rate to below 3%. This is the result of the policy of converting crop structure, developing rural economy associated with VietGAP standards and safe agricultural production that the locality has persistently implemented in recent years.

Mr. Le Anh Tuyen, Tan Son hamlet, La Hien commune, takes care of his family's green-skinned grapefruit garden.

Mr. Le Anh Tuyen, Tan Son hamlet, is one of the pioneer farmers in developing citrus trees. Since 2018, he has borrowed hundreds of millions of dong from the bank to invest in growing green-skinned pomelos, Dien pomelos and sweet oranges. Thanks to his diligence in learning techniques, choosing suitable varieties and following safe production processes, his garden has high productivity, sweet fruit, and is favored by the market. Each year, his family earns a stable profit of over 100 million dong, becoming a typical good economic model in the locality.

In Tan Son hamlet, Mr. Vu Van Duong has invested over 1 billion VND to build a farm growing oranges, tangerines, and green-skinned grapefruit combined with organic farming. Previously, since 2017, Mr. Duong had visited many large orange growing areas in the country to learn techniques and effective farming models.

The initial effectiveness of the two models shows that citrus trees are affirming a new direction in La Hien. The common point in the approach of the two farmers above is systematic production, organic farming, aiming at sustainable agriculture . Right from the beginning of growing fruit trees, they all focused on improving the soil, choosing suitable varieties and using composted manure instead of chemical fertilizers. This method helps the trees grow well, has few pests and diseases, produces high quality fruit, and at the same time reduces production costs by nearly 10 million VND/ha per year.

Mr. Vu Van Duong said: Organic fruits can be preserved for a long time, the harvest season is long, helping to avoid risks in market prices. Orange and tangerine trees grown organically are also more durable, can be exploited for up to 20 years. Thanks to persistent application of new techniques, at the end of 2022, 1 hectare of oranges and tangerines planted in 2019 of my family had the first harvest of more than 5 tons of fruit. Just one year later, the output increased to 15 tons, bringing in a profit of about 150 million VND with an average selling price of 20,000 VND/kg of Vinh oranges and 25,000 VND/kg of tangerines.

Mr. Vu Van Duong, Tan Son hamlet, La Hien commune, next to his family's tangerine garden.

In recent years, the citrus growing movement has spread to many hamlets of La Hien. The whole commune currently has more than 460 hectares of fruit trees, of which oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits account for a significant area, becoming the main crops bringing in high income. Many households have boldly invested hundreds of millions of VND to expand the scale and build local product brands. At the same time, people have proactively sought outlets, linked consumption, reduced dependence on traders, and aimed for a stable and sustainable market.

Mr. Tran Duc Tu, Vice Chairman of La Hien Commune People's Committee, said: The effectiveness of citrus growing models opens up a new direction for rural economic development. Currently, the commune is coordinating with specialized agencies to guide the development of orange and tangerine products that meet OCOP certification, forming a concentrated fruit tree growing area.

According to the orientation for the period 2025-2030, the Commune Party Committee continues to encourage the development of commodity agriculture, linking citrus cultivation with eco -tourism and agricultural experiences. The goal by 2030 is that the average product value will reach 195 million VND/ha of agricultural land, the average income will reach 70 million VND/person/year, striving to build an advanced new rural commune.

From the initial success of the orange, tangerine, and grapefruit growing models, it can be affirmed that citrus trees are becoming the main economic crop in La Hien. With the orientation of developing organic agriculture, linking production with brands and sustainable consumption, this land is opening up prospects for green and sustainable rural economic development in the coming years.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202511/la-hien-chu-trong-phat-trien-kinh-te-tu-cay-co-mui-ffd25b1/