Developing guava trees in Quy Huong land

Ha Long town is a locality with a large natural area, accounting for 1/5 of the entire Ha Trung district; of which agricultural land accounts for 65.6%. Ha Long has 2 lakes and dams to ensure water supply for daily life and production; the traffic system and intra-field canals are 80% hardened; fertile land... are good conditions for agricultural production. In particular, Ha Long has National Highway 217B and Provincial Road 522 running through it; there is an intersection of the North-South expressway, so it is convenient for travel and trade of goods.

Lush green guava fields, laden with fruit in Ha Long town (Ha Trung).

In order to effectively exploit the potential and advantages of the semi-mountainous region, open a new direction for agricultural production, and create momentum for the socio-economy, the people of Ha Long town have boldly converted ineffective rice, sugarcane, and pineapple growing areas to growing guava trees.

Pear guava is a fruit tree that is easy to grow, easy to care for, has good disease resistance, and is suitable for the climate and soil of Ha Long. Pear guava variety flowers early after planting, has a high ability to naturally flower, is easy to set fruit, and has a short harvest time.

When asked about the process and techniques of caring for Quy Huong pear guava, Ms. Dang Thi Lai (62 years old, Gia Mieu village, Ha Long town) shared: “Pear guava can be grown all year round, but the best time is usually in spring, from February to March and April to May to take advantage of irrigation water. The soil must be loose and well-drained, the main cultivated soil layer must be over 50cm thick; the tree density must be moderate. Every year, organic fertilizer must be added and loose alluvial soil must be added for the trees. In low-lying rice fields, trenches must be dug and beds must be raised. In addition to ensuring irrigation water, pruning and creating a canopy is one of the important and effective ways to care for pear guava, giving high yield. One of the most important steps in the process of growing and caring for guava is to cover the fruit to prevent sunburn, insect bites, and borers... bringing a clean, safe crop of fruit with high commercial value”.

Pear guava variety is easy to grow, easy to care for, has a short harvest time, and brings economic efficiency 3.4 times higher than growing rice and pineapple.

Due to the suitable soil conditions, the people in the commune planted and cared for according to the right process and techniques, the pear guava tree gives high yield. The pear guava grown on Ha Long land has large, beautiful fruit, thick flesh, few seeds, crispy, sweet taste, mild aroma, so it is favored by the market, traders buy directly from the garden, bringing high economic efficiency.

From the initial results, in September 2021, the Farmers' Association of Ha Long town mobilized households with large guava growing areas to join together and establish a Cooperative Group for growing guava according to VietGAP standards. With the attention, facilitation, and practical support of the local government and the District Farmers' Association, after many efforts and attempts, by November 2021, guava products grown and cared for by the cooperative group were certified with VietGAP. In April 2022, the Quy Huong Commercial Service Cooperative, Ha Long was established, based on the activities of the Cooperative Group with 15 participating members and associated production members. At the end of 2022, Quy Huong guava achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Up to now, the whole town of Ha Long has about 500 households growing guava pear, contributing to solving jobs for hundreds of local workers. Many households have risen to become rich from their homeland land, from their own hands and experience.

Pear guava is one of the main crops, opening up a new direction for agricultural production, contributing to promoting local socio-economy.

The guava field of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Duong's family (58 years old, Gia Mieu village, Ha Long town) currently has 300 guava trees in the best growth and development period. The harsh sunlight has begun to spread across the large guava growing area, Mrs. Duong and some surrounding garden owners still stay to finish the work.

Ms. Duong confided: “Compared to sugarcane and pineapple, taking care of guava trees is easier and brings higher economic efficiency. Quy Huong pear guava has 2 main crops/year; each crop harvests about 5-6 tons of guava. In addition, we can still harvest and sell throughout the year”. The selling price at the source is about 10-20 thousand VND/kg, with 3 sao of guava, Ms. Duong's family earns about 40-50 million VND/year”.

In order for the Quy Huong pear guava brand to increasingly spread, bring higher economic value, and move towards sustainable development, in the coming time, the local government and people will continue to research, innovate, and apply technology to improve cultivation techniques; promote propaganda and advertising to expand the consumption market, "pave the way" for Quy Huong pear guava to enter more supermarkets and clean fruit stores...

Along with that, the development of the guava pear model also needs to have a "far-sighted" vision, not disrupting the planning of rice areas, and golden sticky rice - also one of the typical agricultural products, bringing high economic efficiency in the locality...

Dang Khoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/phat-trien-cay-oi-le-tren-vung-dat-quy-huong-246080.htm