Sweet orange season

Besides being famous for its green-skinned pomelos, in recent years, Bac Khanh Vinh commune has also become known for its orchards of ripe, juicy, and sweet mandarin oranges...

Besides being famous for its green-skinned pomelos, in recent years, Bac Khanh Vinh commune has also become known for its orchards of ripe, juicy, and sweet mandarin oranges. Although not yet a staple crop, mandarin oranges are contributing to increased income for the people and gradually establishing the brand of this highland agricultural product.

The orange groves are laden with fruit.

In early October, the road leading to Suoi Thom village, Bac Khanh Vinh commune, is covered in a lush green of fruit trees. From afar, the grapefruit and mandarin orange orchards stand out in the early morning sun, and a bustling atmosphere of labor permeates the countryside as people are busy harvesting the ripe mandarin oranges. Leading us through her orchard laden with fruit, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hue – one of the households with a large area of ​​fruit trees in Suoi Thom village – happily said: “This season, the mandarin oranges are abundant, the fruit is plump, juicy, and traders come directly to the orchard to buy them.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue stands beside her orchard of ripe, juicy mandarin oranges.

On over 5 hectares of farmland, Mrs. Hue's family grows green pomelos intercropped with durian and mandarin oranges. Although mandarin oranges only occupy a small portion of the land, they bring significant economic benefits thanks to good harvests and stable prices. Mrs. Hue recounts that previously, the orchard mainly grew pomelos, but due to natural disasters and pests, many trees were damaged or felled. Since 2019, her family switched to intercropping mandarin oranges. Unexpectedly, the trees thrived in the climate, were less susceptible to pests and diseases, and produced high-quality fruit, so her family expanded the area. From a few dozen trees initially, the orchard now has about 400 mandarin orange trees, yielding 3 to 4 tons per harvest, with traders buying them directly from the orchard at 20,000 VND/kg. Thanks to this, her family has a stable additional source of income. Ms. Hue shared: “The technique for growing mandarin oranges is not too difficult; you just need to choose good varieties, loose, well-drained soil, and fertilize at the right time. After 3 years, the trees start bearing fruit. Compared to pomelo trees, mandarin oranges fetch a better price. We hope to find a stable purchasing location so we can invest with peace of mind and expand production.”

Not far from Mrs. Hue's orchard, Mrs. Hoang Thi Minh, Director of Khanh Binh Agricultural Cooperative, is in the midst of her harvest season. Mrs. Minh recounts that in 2018, she tried planting a dozen trees intercropped in her pomelo orchard. Unexpectedly, the trees thrived, grew quickly, were less susceptible to pests and diseases, and produced fruit with yellow flesh, few seeds, and a sweet, refreshing taste. Since then, she has planted more trees. “Each harvest season, I usually livestream selling my produce myself. I sell everything I harvest. This year, the pomelos are not only a bumper crop but also consistently high-quality; every fruit is juicy and not dry like in previous years. Pomelos are easy to care for and suit the climate, so anyone can grow them. In recent years, thanks to government support programs on seeds and techniques, many ethnic minority households in the region have started growing and earning income from pomelo trees,” said Mrs. Minh.

Crop diversity for highland areas

The mandarin orange tree first appeared in the Bac Khanh Vinh area around 2013, with the first harvest beginning in 2016. Recognizing that the tree was well-suited to the climate and produced delicious fruit, the local people began expanding the planting area. To date, the entire Bac Khanh Vinh commune has approximately 20 hectares of mandarin orange trees, evenly distributed across the villages, with a yield of about 5-7 tons per hectare. This is the commune with the largest area of ​​mandarin orange trees in the Khanh Vinh region.

To ensure stable crop growth, the Farmers' Association of the commune has recently collaborated with the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Agricultural Extension Center, and the Plant Protection Station to organize training courses and invite engineers to guide farmers on planting and caring techniques. They have also organized visits to successful model farms, established Zalo and Facebook groups to provide timely support, advice, and guidance to farmers when crops are affected by pests and diseases, and compiled and distributed free technical handbooks to help farmers easily apply the knowledge.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue is packaging premium oranges for customers.

According to Mr. Le Dinh Chinh, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Bac Khanh Vinh commune, while not yet a key crop, the mandarin orange has already demonstrated significant economic benefits. For mountainous areas like Bac Khanh Vinh, having another suitable fruit tree contributes to diversifying the crop structure and reducing production risks for the people.

In the context of the local area's efforts to promote sustainable crop restructuring, the "cam xoan" orange variety is considered a suitable direction, making good use of the favorable climate and soil conditions. However, Mr. Chinh stated that the current difficulties include small-scale production, inconsistent product quality, and unstable prices due to the primary distribution channel through traders. The locality hopes that in the future, relevant levels and sectors will continue to invest in and support brand building, connect product consumption, and create conditions for Bac Khanh Vinh "cam xoan" oranges to gain a stronger foothold in the market.

C.VAN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202510/mua-cam-xoan-ngot-d6a4aab/