Increasing the value of specialty crops in northern communes

With cool climate and suitable land, the northern communes of Thai Nguyen province are developing many valuable specialty crops such as: Chestnut, seedless persimmon, fragrant green squash, peach, pear, Khau Nua Lech sticky rice... These typical agricultural products are an important source of livelihood, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction for the people.

VH6 pear variety (Ngan Son commune) produces crispy, juicy fruit, so it is favored by the market.

Ngan Son Commune, a place with a high average altitude and a cool climate all year round, people still preserve many native tree varieties such as: Peach, pear, chestnut... Peach trees usually bear fruit in July, with a sweet, slightly sour taste, characteristic aroma, a familiar gift for many tourists when stopping here; pears with a mild sweet taste, mixed with a little astringency, natural aroma, fruit season starts from July until the end of September.

Not only fruit trees, Ngan Son commune is also famous for its chestnut trees, a type of nut with a rich, fatty taste, harvested by people from August onwards. This is a product that is being branded and developed in the direction of goods, with an average selling price of 80,000-100,000 VND/kg.

Area of specialty crops in the northern region of Thai Nguyen province: 400ha of seedless persimmons; 200ha of chestnuts; more than 70ha of peaches and pears; 700ha of yellow apricots; 3,000ha of citrus trees (oranges and tangerines).

Ngan Son peach specialty is loved by many people.

Not far away, Thuong Minh commune is the capital of fragrant green squash, a plant associated with the agricultural product brand of Ba Be Lake. Fragrant green squash has a thick skin, dense flesh, a mild aroma, and when cooked has a natural sweet taste, a gift that anyone who sets foot on Ba Be land wants to buy to enjoy. The squash harvest season is mainly in May and June, currently the price of this agricultural product fluctuates from 15,000-20,000 VND/kg.

Another specialty is seedless persimmons, currently distributed mainly in the communes of Quang Bach, Dong Phuc, Tran Phu, Na Ri... The native persimmon variety has a sweet taste, when ripe the skin is shiny, the flesh is cut open and covered with a layer of sugar. The fruit season is from August to October, the selling price ranges from 20,000-40,000 VND/kg depending on the type and time.

In addition, Khau Nua Lech fragrant sticky rice in the highland commune of Thuong Quan is also a typical product that the province is interested in preserving and developing. The product has been certified as a 3-star OCOP and distributed to supermarkets and OCOP stores in and outside the province.

In recent times, Thai Nguyen province has had many policies to support the enhancement of the value of specialty crops. From restoring Khau Nua Lech rice varieties; intensive cultivation and improvement of seedless apricot and persimmon varieties; technical support for growing fragrant green squash, chestnuts... to promoting production towards commodities.

Ms. Trieu Thi Xuan's family in Na Duc village, Cho Ra commune, sells hundreds of tons of fragrant green squash to the market every year.

Agricultural extension and OCOP programs have been strongly involved, guiding farmers on care techniques, timely harvesting, pruning, and proper fertilization. In addition, cooperatives and groups are supported with processing machinery, traceability stamps, labels, packaging, etc. to help increase their ability to identify and penetrate the market.

Although there have been many changes, the development of specialty and endemic crops still faces many difficulties. Many areas are still cultivated using traditional methods, lacking technical intensification, and lacking close links between people, cooperatives, and businesses. Some fruits such as pears, peaches, chestnuts, etc. are often affected by pests and diseases due to improper care, affecting quality and making them difficult to sell.

In addition, post-harvest processing and preservation are still limited, leading to short preservation time, unstable prices and the situation of "good harvest, low price" still recurring in many places.

For sustainable development, local people and cooperatives need the provincial authorities and specialized agencies to continue to pay attention and support, from planning specialized growing areas to selecting suitable varieties and training in organic and safe care techniques.

Along with that is investing in technology for preliminary processing, deep processing, preserving agricultural products after harvest, promoting e-commerce and promoting brands, contributing to increasing the value of specialty crops in northern communes.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202507/nang-gia-tricay-trong-dac-sancac-xa-phia-bac-87f0a4d/