Buddha's hand citron growers experience mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

Many Buddha's hand citron growers in Dac So commune (Hoai Duc district) have reaped huge profits from high prices, but many others are still in a precarious situation due to the indifference of traders.

Many Buddha's hand citron growers in Dac So commune (Hoai Duc district) have reaped huge profits from high prices, but many others are still in a precarious situation due to the indifference of traders.

Dac So commune (Hoai Duc district, Hanoi ) is known for its famous Buddha's hand citron cultivation. The entire commune has over 500 households cultivating it, with a total area of ​​approximately 350 hectares. Besides some local cultivation areas, people from Dac So travel to other communes in Hoai Duc, Dan Phuong, Phuc Tho, and Ba Vi districts, as well as Yen Lac district (Vinh Phuc province), to cultivate their crops. Each year, Buddha's hand citron cultivation brings in hundreds of billions of dong in revenue for the local people.

The effects of storms and fungal diseases have left many Buddha's hand fruits unsightly and difficult to sell fresh. Photo: Trung Quân.

Normally, the period leading up to the Lunar New Year is a bustling time, filled with excitement and hard work, as the Buddha's hand citron growers in Dac So are expected to reap substantial profits. However, this year, sadness and anxiety are the dominant feelings among the orchard owners.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, from Son Ha village, said that the gloomy atmosphere in the Buddha's hand citron orchards is quite different from previous years because most of the planting area of ​​the people in the commune, especially the areas that people in Dac So rented land to plant in the area adjacent to the Red River, have been severely damaged, even completely destroyed, due to the impact of typhoon No. 3 and floods.

The number of households fortunate enough to keep their trees and harvest fruit are those that planted on higher ground, but these are few and far between. However, strong winds and storms cause the trees to shake, severely damaging the root systems and creating opportunities for rust and fungal diseases to spread, requiring households to spend considerable labor and money on preventative measures.

Moreover, the storms caused severe damage and scratches to all the first batch of Buddha's hand fruits of the year (which, according to experience, are the most beautiful). Very few fruits survived and could be sold fresh for Tet because their appearance was affected; most had to be sold as dried fruit for export to China.

According to Mr. Vuong Tri Giang from Dac So commune, never before have Buddha's hand citron growers faced so many difficulties as this year. Photo: Trung Quan.

“Fresh Buddha's hand fruit is a meaningful product displayed during Tet (Lunar New Year), so there is no fixed price. However, due to the tree's picky nature regarding soil and difficult care, the selling price always remains relatively high, ranging from 40,000 to 60,000 VND per fruit. Exceptional fruits, especially those with discerning customers, can even fetch hundreds of thousands of VND. Therefore, it can be seen that this year the supply is limited; those households that managed to keep their trees will surely profit greatly, while those who are unlucky will suffer significant economic losses,” Mr. Tuyen assessed.

Returning to the land along the Red River, running through the communes of Hong Ha, Trung Chau, and Tho An (Dan Phuong district), it's not difficult to encounter the sad faces and weary sighs of the owners of Buddha's hand citron orchards, who are people from Dac So who rent land here to grow them.

Mr. Vuong Tri Giang sadly shared that the alluvial land along the Red River has ideal conditions for the growth of Buddha's hand citron. In recent years, it has become a reliable destination for traders from near and far to come and buy goods during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). Local people have gained more jobs and a decent income by being hired to care for the Buddha's hand citron. However, that bright picture has turned dark since the great flood caused by Typhoon No. 3 swept through.

Those Buddha's hand citron orchards fortunate enough to retain their current fruit are reaping huge profits in terms of selling price. Photo: Trung Quân.

All 400 of his family's Buddha's hand citron trees were submerged by polluted water. When the water receded, he quickly found ways to restore them, and fortunately managed to save some fruit in time for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Unfortunately, most of the trees in the orchard have damaged root systems, absorbing nutrients poorly, their leaves gradually turning yellow and wilting, and lacking the strength to sustain fruit for an extended period. Meanwhile, many traders have visited the orchard but have offered various excuses to drive down prices. Reluctant to sell, the fruit will spoil if left for too long, but selling would result in double losses for the family.

“Never before have difficulties piled up like this year. All the trees have to be replaced after harvesting the fruit. I’ve had to ask for delayed payment from the workers, beg the landowner to reduce the rent; when I tried to sell dried fruit, the prices weren’t good enough, and when I tried to sell fruit for display during Tet, the traders were evasive and tried to force down the price,” Giang lamented.

As one of the few fortunate households that have managed to preserve their Buddha's hand citron orchards, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, from Dac So commune, who rents land to grow over 300 trees in Yen Thai village, Tien Yen commune (Hoai Duc district), said that the Buddha's hand citron tree has a fibrous root system that only penetrates 40-50cm deep, prefers sandy loam soil (in riverside areas) that is rich in nutrients, has good drainage, and a pH of 5.5-6.5.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa from Dac So commune, due to limited supply, the price of fresh Buddha's hand fruit is currently many times higher than in previous years. Photo: Trung Quan.

In particular, land previously used for growing Buddha's hand citron, lemons, and pomelos will be less productive when new Buddha's hand citron trees are planted. Therefore, after the tree's life cycle (about 5-6 years), growers must move to find new land for cultivation to ensure continued success.

Although this year's care has been more arduous than in previous years, Ms. Hoa's family is luckier than many other families because they won't be left empty-handed for Tet. Currently, traders from all over have come to visit the orchard and place orders for all the fruit at prices 10,000-20,000 VND higher per fruit than in previous years.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/nguoi-trong-phat-thu-vui-buon-lan-lon-d417591.html