Green tea is fetching a good price but the harvest is poor.

High prices for pomelos, coupled with low yields, have resulted in reduced profits for farmers compared to last year.

Despite the peak harvest season and high prices, many pomelo growers in Binh Minh town are unhappy this year due to a poor harvest and low yields.

According to many orchard owners in Binh Minh town, the pomelo tree is a perennial fruit tree with a relatively slow growth rate and a long harvesting time. Grafted trees will bear fruit after 3-4 years of planting, while trees grown from seeds may take up to 10 years to bear fruit .

Traditionally, most orchards have cultivated pomelo trees extensively, without investing in fertilizers or pesticides, relying primarily on natural flowering and fruiting. Pomelo fruit has a mild aroma and is popular for its refreshing sour and sweet taste. Currently, many varieties of pomelo are available on the market, but they are mainly categorized into two types: sweet and sour.

The tree usually flowers in November each year, and bears fruit a week later. Accordingly, the pomelo harvest begins before the Lunar New Year and lasts until the end of April, with the peak season usually falling in February (lunar calendar) .

Although it only yields one harvest per year, thanks to its long growing season and relatively high price, the pomelo tree has provided a stable source of income , contributing to improving the lives of the people. Currently, Binh Minh town has more than 15 hectares of pomelo trees, with the largest area in Dong Thanh commune.

However, unlike previous years, many orchard owners in Binh Minh town reported that this year, due to the impact of the weather, the yield of pomelo has decreased. Accordingly, the purchase price of pomelo at the orchard is 40,000-65,000 VND/kg, while at retail points it ranges from 95,000-130,000 VND/kg, an increase of 20,000-25,000 VND/kg compared to the same period last year.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ut (Dong Thanh commune, Binh Minh town) said: "This year, the pomelo crop failed; the trees bloomed but did not bear fruit. Or if they did bear fruit, the fruit was small and fell off before it had a chance to ripen."

Mr. Huynh Van Cap, Director of the Dong Thanh Sweet Starfruit Seedling Production and Consumption Cooperative (Binh Minh Town), said: "Previously, people mainly planted sour starfruit trees. In recent years, the area planted with sweet starfruit trees has gradually expanded, bringing higher income. However, this year, both sour and sweet starfruit trees have produced fewer fruits, resulting in a significant decrease in yield. In some orchards, the yield has decreased by 70-80%, causing crop failure for farmers."

According to Mr. Cap, the reason for the significant decrease in pomelo production is due to the hot weather from the beginning of the season, followed by a late cold spell, causing the pomelo trees to flower late, resulting in a very low fruit setting rate, small fruits, and unripe fruits falling all over the orchard.

“From the beginning of the season, I noticed that the fruit setting ability of sweet pomelos was low, only sporadic, so I researched off-season cultivation. Accordingly, this year my orchard doesn't have many fruits from the main pomelo season, with most of the harvest concentrated around mid-April, which is later than the main season. But the predicted yield is also not as high as in previous years,” Mr. Cap added.

According to Mr. Cap, in recent times, with the desire to expand and develop the sweet pomelo variety, the local authorities and relevant agencies have implemented a project to support people with seedlings, while also educating people to renovate old orchards, improve care to expand the area, and increase productivity to develop it into a specialty raw material area for the locality.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thanh commune, said: The total production of sour pomelo in 2023 was about 30 tons, a decrease of 80% compared to the previous year. The locality will coordinate with relevant units and scientists to guide farmers on cultivation techniques to increase productivity and help pomelo trees develop better.

According to the Economic Department of Binh Minh Town, recognizing the potential of the sweet pomelo tree, the department has supported the development of a sweet pomelo brand, protected the rights of the plant variety and collective trademark, and developed it into a local OCOP product.

In the long term, the department will continue to support training, technology transfer, and conservation of pomelo tree varieties, coordinating research and development of processed pomelo products to enhance the value of this crop and provide stable income for local people. At the same time, it will encourage people to cultivate it using safe, organic methods and with established brands to increase competitiveness in the market.

Source: https://baovinhlong.vn/kinh-te/thi-truong/202403/thanh-tra-duoc-gia-nhung-mat-mua-3181006/