Phieng Ban people are excited because plums have good prices.

This year, plum prices are 2-3 times higher than in the 2023 plum crop.

Prices are rising

The plum tree took root in Na Tau in 1995. In recent years, people have grafted and expanded the plum acreage to 22 hectares of commercial plum trees, concentrated in Phieng Ban village. Here, almost every household in the village grows plums, with the smallest having 30-40 trees and the largest having up to 100 trees.
Unlike other years, Na Tau plums often fall into a situation of "good harvest, low price", but this year the plum yield has decreased but the selling price is high. The selling price of Na Tau plums at the beginning of the season is 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, 3 times higher than the selling price in 2023 (the beginning of the 2023 season is 10,000 - 15,000 VND/kg). In the main season, the selling price is still maintained at 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

In 2018, Ms. Lu Thi Dien, Phieng Ban village (Na Tau commune) converted part of her garden area to grow plum trees. Thanks to the grafting method, after only 3-4 years of construction, the plum garden was able to harvest fruit.

Ms. Lu Thi Dien excitedly said: My family has about 3,000m2 ^{of plums} for business. In previous years, the plum trees had a good harvest, yielding about 500kg of fruit but the selling price was low, from 5,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, earning 3 - 5 million VND/crop. This year's plum season is estimated to yield only 300kg of fruit but the selling price is high at 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg, so the income has increased to about 12 - 15 million VND.

Ms. Lu Thi Dien, Phieng Ban village, harvests plums.

Similarly, Ms. Luong Thi Bien, Phieng Ban village shared: This year's plum trees do not bear much fruit but the selling price is much higher than last year. My family's plum garden ripens early, at the beginning of the season I sold for 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg. At this time, it is the harvest season, many households sell so the plum price has dropped to 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. It is estimated that my family will earn more than 20 million VND this season.

Phieng Ban has a cool climate and suitable soil conditions, so plum trees grow and develop well, producing plums with lots of pollen, seeds, large, crispy and sweet. In addition, plums are a crop that requires little effort and low care costs but gives a stable, long-term harvest. Thanks to these advantages, plum trees have become a crop that brings a stable source of income to the people of Phieng Ban village.

The large, crispy, powdery mandarin fruits provide a stable source of income for the people of Phieng Ban.

Mr. Lo Van Toan, Chairman of Na Tau Commune People's Committee, said: In recent years, the plum tree has shown its suitability to soil conditions and economic efficiency for the people of Phieng Ban village. In the coming time, Na Tau Commune People's Committee will conduct a survey and expand the plum variety to some villages adjacent to Phieng Ban village, gradually expanding the area, creating concentrated growing areas and moving towards building the plum fruit into a typical product of Na Tau commune.

Diversified sales forms

Previously, displaying and selling plums along Highway 279 was the only form of sales for the people of Phieng Ban village. However, in recent seasons, plum garden owners have grasped the needs and trends of customers and applied information technology to sell their products.

People sell plums to vehicle owners traveling on Highway 279 through Phieng Ban village.

Ms. Quàng Thị Thám, Phieng Ban village, said: Selling on both sides of National Highway 279 through Phieng Ban village is still the main business. Every morning, garden owners pick about 10-20kg of plums and sell them to passersby on National Highway 279. On average, each garden owner sells about 10-20kg of plums per day. On busy days, the amount of plums sold can reach 25-30kg. In addition, garden owners are now selling online by sharing articles, pictures, and videos introducing Na Tau plums on Facebook, tiktok, and zalo. From there, customers order online or come to the garden to pick the fruit.

The forms of online sales or letting customers pick plums in the garden have just been applied by garden owners, so the number of customers buying is not as regular as the traditional sales form, but the number of transactions per transaction is often larger. On average, each group of 3-4 people going to the garden to pick plums usually takes from 20-30kg/picking trip.

Letting people pick plums in the garden is a new form of sales for plum garden owners in Phieng Ban.

Ms. Lu Thi Dien, Phieng Ban village said: Plum trees generate income for people from the time the trees bloom until the fruit is harvested. During the blooming season, many people, especially young people in the center of Dien Bien Phu City , come to take photos and videos with white plum flowers. For each person entering the garden, the garden owner charges a fee of 20,000 VND. The same goes for harvest season, those who want to enter the garden to take photos and pick plums, they all buy all the plums they pick, an average of about 20 - 25kg/time; there are also some groups of customers who buy up to 40 - 50kg of plums/time.

Regarding the form of selling through social networking platforms, plum garden owners in Phieng Ban also regularly approach and learn from large plum garden owners in Moc Chau (Son La province) such as: Creating shops and livestreaming to sell products via Facebook, TikTok; posting articles and images on social networking sites... to find consumption markets. Plum garden owners in Phieng Ban shared: Livestreaming sales is the best form of online sales today. However, with the limited access and mastery of technology of the people; small growing areas, garden owners cannot do it yet. Currently, people only apply posting articles and images to groups and fanpages on social networks to sell products. When someone contacts to order, we pack the goods and send them to customers. With the current sales forms, we have met the consumption of 100% of plum products in Phieng Ban.

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