Unique grapefruit model in Phi Le

BAC NINH - In recent years, consumers have increasingly favored agricultural products with beautiful shapes, feng shui or traditional cultural meanings. Grasping that trend, Ms. Bang Thi Sau's family in Phi Le residential group, Phuong Son ward (Bac Ninh) has boldly changed direction to develop a unique shaped grapefruit model, initially bringing economic efficiency, creating a unique mark on the market.

Currently, Ms. Sau's family grows more than 200 cinnamon pomelo trees - a variety of pomelo with the advantage of thin skin, sweet taste, and fragrant aroma. The special thing is that instead of letting the pomelo grow naturally as in the traditional way, her family applies the technique of shaping the fruit using a "tieu dong" mold or embossing the words "phuc", "loc", "tho", "binh", "an" with the meaning of wishing luck and fortune to the homeowner during the holidays and Tet.

Ms. Bang Thi Sau with her unique and strange pomelo product in the shape of a miniature bronze statue.

The shaping process is carried out from the beginning of March. When the young grapefruit reaches a weight of about 200g, the gardener will use a specialized mold to press each fruit. During the care period, the grower must closely monitor the fruit's development, adjust the mold's tightness, water and fertilize the tree properly so that the fruit both ensures the desired shape and maintains the quality inside. At this time, each shaped grapefruit reaches an average weight of 400-500g/fruit, with a shiny skin and a gentle, fragrant aroma.

The garden owner selected and wrapped the beautiful, even grapefruits in a mold.

According to Ms. Sau, if grapefruit is grown in the usual way, each fruit costs from 30,000 to 35,000 VND, while shaped grapefruit can be sold for 4-5 times higher, but still cannot supply enough for customers. For more than a week now, every day, her family has harvested and distributed more than 100 small grapefruits to major markets such as Hanoi , Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa... On the occasion of Lunar New Year, the product will attract more customers thanks to its uniqueness, strangeness and feng shui meaning. Notably, all products are promoted, introduced and consumed conveniently by the garden owner on the personal online sales channel Facebook and Zalo.

However, in reality, this model also faces many difficulties. Adverse weather can greatly affect the quality of the fruit, causing distortion or damage to the mold. To limit the risk, this year Ms. Sau's family only shaped about 2,000 fruits, half of the original plan.

With perseverance, creativity and skillful craftsmanship, Ms. Bang Thi Sau's family has turned grapefruits into unique handicrafts with high artistic and economic value.

Grapefruit products of Ms. Bang Thi Sau's family.

The pomelo model in Phi Le residential area is a typical example of flexible and creative agricultural thinking, connecting traditional agricultural products with modern aesthetic needs. This is also a suitable direction in the context of the agricultural sector encouraging the development of products with high economic value and building brands for local agricultural products. If interested, supported with techniques and replicated, this model promises to contribute to enriching the typical agricultural products of Kinh Bac region.

Article and photos: Mai Toan

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/net-doc-dao-mo-hinh-buoi-tao-hinh-o-phi-le-postid423613.bbg