Caring for fabric is like raising a newborn baby.
With a harmonious blend of traditional methods and modern technology, farmers in Thanh Ha district are pouring all their efforts into what is predicted to be a successful lychee harvest.
From early morning, the winding paths through the lychee orchards in Thanh Ha district are bustling with people. Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuong from Lai Xa 2 village (Thanh Tan commune) is in her lychee orchard, shaking the trees to remove dew and spraying pesticides to control caterpillars and leaf-rolling insects. Ms. Cuong's family cultivates nearly one acre of early and main-season lychees. Because her family is small, she single-handedly handles the pesticide spraying to ensure the lychee fruit develops well. "Before, this job required at least two people – one to pump the sprayer and another to spray the pesticide. Now, the sprayers are machine-powered, so only one person is needed," Ms. Cuong said.
In Thanh Ha, the early-ripening lychees are currently about the size of a little finger. The Thieu lychees are the size of a toothpick tip. Both types of lychees are in the young fruit stage, so in addition to spraying pesticides, farmers are actively watering them to help the trees concentrate nutrients on the fruit.
Amidst the sprawling lychee trees, farmers prune away small branches, carefully inspect each cluster of fruit to promptly detect pests and diseases, and clean up and sweep away leaves to prevent the spread of pathogens.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hau, from Vinh Xa village (Vinh Cuong commune), one of the long-time lychee growers, gently broke off a diseased branch and said: "Lychee trees are not easy to care for. They may look healthy, but if you don't check carefully, some branches will be infested with mealybugs. If not treated immediately, it will affect the fruit and spread to other trees. Caring for lychee trees requires meticulous attention, like raising a newborn child. Lychees are a commodity; besides being delicious, the fruit must have an attractive appearance to fetch a good price."
Thanh Ha district has 3,285 hectares of lychee orchards. To date, the weather has been generally favorable, resulting in a 98% flowering and fruiting rate. The most challenging aspect for lychee growers at this time is ensuring the fruit grows quickly, is of high quality, and has an attractive appearance. They are devoting all their efforts to caring for the trees, nurturing the fruit, removing young shoots, pruning overgrown branches, and creating an open canopy… all with the sole purpose of concentrating nutrients on the fruit for a bountiful harvest.
Clean fabric is a money-maker.
This year's lychee harvest in Thanh Ha is expected to reach 38,000 tons, an increase of 13,000 tons compared to last year. Not content with traditional farming methods, many Thanh Ha farmers have applied technological advancements to lychee cultivation. Instead of abandoning old practices, they have chosen a harmonious blend of traditional techniques and modern scientific applications in farming.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong from Thanh Lanh village (Thanh Quang commune) said that his family and other farmers in the commune have switched to using composted organic fertilizer with biological preparations to fertilize their lychee trees for many years. The results are clearly visible: the trees are healthier, the leaves are greener, pests and diseases are reduced, and the quality of the lychee fruit is better.
Households proactively install water-saving irrigation systems and use biological sticky traps to control harmful insects. Farmers in areas meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards carefully record their care logs, from the date of pesticide application and fertilization to the plant's growth indicators, to ensure a clean and transparent process when exporting their products.
The entire lychee growing area in Thanh Ha district is cultivated according to VietAP standards and adheres to safe production processes, with no pesticides sprayed during the flowering stage, no fruit-setting stimulants used, and absolutely no banned substances... The quality of Thanh Ha lychees is increasingly being improved to meet the stringent requirements for export to demanding markets such as Japan, Europe, and the United States.
Mr. Ngo Ba Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Ha District People's Committee, said that for a long time, lychee has not only been confined to the economic sphere of families but has also become an iconic image of the Thanh Ha region. Lychee is not just a sweet fruit, but also a culture and a source of pride for the people here. Therefore, in conjunction with lychee growers, the specialized agencies of Thanh Ha district are very active in guiding people on lychee cultivation techniques, monitoring weather conditions, and pest and disease situations to help the people of Thanh Ha achieve a bountiful lychee harvest.
To date, Thanh Ha lychee has been certified with a "geographical indication" and many other prestigious titles such as: "Top 10 reputable and high-quality products" and a "quintessence of specialties from 3 regions"; the "Golden Brand" award, the "Trusted Safe Food Brand" certification, and the top 10 famous brands selected by the Vietnam Union of Science and Business Entrepreneurs and the Intellectual Property and Innovation Magazine.
Most recently, in October 2024, Thanh Ha lychees were awarded the Golden Brand of Vietnamese Agriculture by the Vietnam General Association of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nong-dan-thanh-ha-don-suc-cham-vai-thieu-408932.html
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