The tree that helps reduce poverty in the flood-prone area of Ha Tinh

In Kim Son village, old Huong Trach commune (now Phuc Trach commune, Ha Tinh province), the family of Ms. Cao Thi Huong (65 years old) is considered one of the households with a large grapefruit growing area. Currently, her family grows more than 200 grapefruit trees, this year is expected to harvest over 5,000 fruits. According to Ms. Huong, the secret to having good quality grapefruit, ripening evenly and bearing fruit is to take careful care after each harvest. That is, pruning bad branches, digging the soil and fertilizing, and when the flowering season comes, artificial pollination from sour grapefruit flowers is used to increase the fruit set rate.

According to Ms. Huong, the grapefruit in this area is delicious and has a sweet taste thanks to the typical hot, dry wind soil, and every year the land is fertilized with alluvium from floods. “The climate is harsh, but this land is suitable for growing grapefruit. Thanks to growing this fruit tree, my family has the conditions to send our children to school, have money to build a house, and buy a car. In the village, every family is now rich thanks to growing grapefruit, some families earn hundreds of millions each year,” Ms. Huong shared.

People of Phuc Trach commune harvest grapefruit.

Phuc Trach land, Huong Khe district (old) is considered the "flood center" of Ha Tinh province. Almost every year it is heavily affected by floods. But from this harsh land, a famous citrus fruit has been created. Almost every household here grows grapefruit, at least a few dozen trees, at most up to thousands of trees. Thanks to the application of science and technology, the productivity and quality of the fruit are increasingly stable, contributing to significantly improving the income of the people.

According to Phuc Trach grapefruit growers, this fruit did not become famous until today. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Phuc Trach grapefruit has been awarded medals at the Indochina Fruit Exhibition, and in 1938 it was exported to the Soviet Union (Russia).

Grapefruit was once on the list of seven rare fruits in the country, with seed export banned. In 1994, realizing its high economic value, the leaders of Huong Khe district (old) mobilized people to convert ineffective cropland to grow grapefruit.

However, the development path of Phuc Trach grapefruit was not smooth. During the period 1998-2007, many grapefruit areas did not produce fruit, the high cost of care made people discouraged, cutting them down to plant agarwood.

Fortunately, thanks to the intervention of the government, the agricultural sector and the perseverance of farmers, the grapefruit tree has gradually recovered. In 2004, the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) granted a certificate of registration of the trademark "Phuc Trach grapefruit". By 2020, Phuc Trach grapefruit became one of 39 geographical indications of Vietnam that the European Union (EU) committed to protect. This is an important boost to expand the market and affirm the brand.

Thanks to growing grapefruit, many households have become rich.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Lien (70 years old, Phuc Trach commune) recalls: “There was a time when the grapefruit trees were green and lush but many households had to cut them down because they did not bear fruit. But now, thanks to the application of science and technology, people have experience in planting and caring for grapefruit, so the grapefruit yields high productivity. Without grapefruit trees, many families in Phuc Trach would still be poor. Now grapefruit has become a tree to reduce hunger and poverty, even helping many households get rich. We consider this a valuable asset of our homeland.”

According to the representative of the People's Committee of Phuc Trach commune, the whole commune currently has nearly 500 hectares of grapefruit, of which 470 hectares have been harvested. The villages of Phu Le, Ngoc Boi, Kim Son, Trung Linh, Bac Linh, Tan Huong, Tan Dua, and Tan Thanh are the areas with the largest cultivation. With an average yield of tens of tons per crop, Phuc Trach grapefruit brings a large source of income to the people, many households have become well-off, built solid houses, and provided their children with a full education.

Ha Tinh people are excited to harvest grapefruit.

Not only stopping at growing grapefruit, many households have also expanded the area of growing Khe May oranges and other citrus trees, diversifying products to avoid risks and increase income. Thanks to that, the rural appearance in the communes of the "flood center" of Ha Tinh is gradually changing as village roads, schools, houses are more spacious, and the rate of poor households has decreased sharply.

To preserve and promote the value of the specialty, many households are focusing on caring for the parent trees to propagate and maintain the quality. Local authorities also encourage the construction of a closed production and consumption chain, linking with businesses to expand domestic and foreign markets. From a fruit once considered a luxury, today Phuc Trach grapefruit has truly become a "poverty-escape" crop in the flood-prone Ha Tinh region.