Kep Commune gets rich from off-season pineapple growing

BAC NINH - For many years now, pineapple has become a typical crop of Kep commune. The long green pineapple hills, harvested in different seasons, are proof of the change in farmers' thinking about commodity production, aiming for sustainable development.

Application of science and technology in off-season production

The off-season pineapple growing model was implemented from the beginning of 2023 within the framework of a grassroots science and technology project chaired by the People's Committee of the former Huong Son commune, now Kep commune. The project was coordinated by the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Bac Giang province (formerly), the Commune Farmers' Association and the Huong Son Clean Pineapple Cooperative.

Kep commune leaders visited the off-season pineapple growing model for high income.

The project was implemented on a scale of 6 hectares, including 4 hectares of early off-season pineapple (harvested from January to April) and 2 hectares of late off-season pineapple (harvested from August to November). Participating households were trained in flowering treatment techniques using biological products and organic fertilizers, while applying VietGAP cultivation processes. Results after more than a year of implementation showed that productivity and economic efficiency increased by over 20% compared to the main-season pineapple, bringing in an average income of 300 - 320 million VND/ha.

Ms. Vu Thi Phuong, former President of the Farmers' Association of Huong Son Commune, now Deputy Head of the Inspection Committee of the Party Committee of Kep Commune, said: "Spreading the crop and off-season in Queen pineapple production helps people harvest year-round, reducing the situation of good harvests and low prices, while ensuring a stable supply of raw materials for the market and processing facilities."

Huong Son Clean Pineapple Cooperative currently has 115 hectares of raw material area, more than 30 official members and 70 associate members. Not only growing and consuming fresh pineapple, the Cooperative also develops a chain of processed products such as pineapple tea, dried pineapple, providing quality breeds, expanding the market to Nam Dinh, Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Lang Son...

Thanks to the innovation in the production of specialty fruit trees in the direction of commodities, pineapples bring in billions of dong in revenue for farmers in Kep commune every year. Dried pineapple alone consumes more than 10,000 boxes/year, with a profit of over 250 million dong. The cooperative maintains over 100 regular workers and nearly 100 seasonal workers, with an income of 9-10 million dong/person/month, higher than the average income of people in rural areas.

Pineapple tea products of Huong Son Clean Pineapple Cooperative.

Huong Son Clean Pineapple products have been recognized as 3-star OCOP since 2023 and have been widely promoted in the media and fairs inside and outside the province. In 2025, the Cooperative will have 2 more processed pineapple products: dried pineapple and pineapple tea, achieving 3 stars.

Good news continues when recently, pineapple tea was unanimously selected by the Council for selecting typical rural industrial products of Bac Ninh province in 2025, and proposed to the Provincial People's Committee to recognize it as a typical rural industrial product at the provincial level in 2025.

Towards ecological agriculture and experiential tourism

Not only bringing economic efficiency, the pineapple area of ​​Kep commune is also expected to become an attractive eco-tourism destination. In the ripe season, the golden pineapple hills attract many tourists to visit, take photos, experience pineapple picking and enjoy specialties in the garden, increasing income for growers. This is a new direction, linking green agriculture with experiential tourism services, promoting local brands, expanding sustainable output for agricultural products. In 2023 and 2024, Huong Son Clean Pineapple Cooperative will welcome nearly a thousand people to visit, learn experiences, exchange, cooperate in trade...

Currently, Kep commune is implementing solutions to expand the scale by 15 hectares in 2026, while maintaining 100% of members producing according to VietGAP process, developing three key products (fresh pineapple, pineapple tea, dried pineapple) in the direction of deep processing. Cooperative members wish to access support policies to develop production areas, increase promotion on media channels and digital platforms to spread the brand of local agricultural products, create jobs and stable income for people.

From the results achieved, it can be affirmed that the application of scientific and technical advances in off-season pineapple production in Kep commune is the right direction, both improving economic efficiency and ensuring sustainability in hilly land exploitation. The model not only helps people proactively manage the season and stabilize output, but also creates regular jobs for hundreds of workers, making an important contribution to multidimensional poverty reduction and new rural construction.

According to the orientation of the local government, in the coming time, Kep commune will continue to cooperate with processing enterprises and distributors to form a complete value chain for clean pineapple products; at the same time, encourage people to expand the area, apply the VietGAP process synchronously, and build the "Kep Pineapple - Bac Ninh" certification brand. Along with that, linking agricultural production with experiential tourism and agricultural education will open up a direction for diverse, modern and in-depth rural economic development.

Article and photos: Mai Toan

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/xa-kep-lam-giau-tu-cay-dua-trai-vu-postid430707.bbg