The Japanese strawberry variety grown in Moc Chau (Son La) which is 24-25 pieces per kg is being sold for 700,000-800,000 VND. This is equal to the price of imported strawberries from Korea and Japan.
In recent years, Son La strawberries have been quite popular with Vietnamese consumers. Having sold Hana Son La strawberries for two years, Ms. Thu Hoai in Binh Thanh District (Ho Chi Minh City) said that product line type 1 (24-25 pieces per kg) í always sold out. According to her, Hana strawberry is one of the best in Moc Chau (Son La), even better than Korean products. Strawberries grown in an area with favorable weather are quite firm and crispy, so when they can retain freshness and sweetness when being transported from the North to the South,
“Every day, the garden can only harvest a few dozen kg of strawberry type 1, so if I want large quantities, I have to order a week in advance. Therefore, each kilogram of strawberries costs 750,000 VND, which is 3-4 times more expensive than medium and small ones (180,000-200,000 VND)”, Ms. Hoai said.
Hana strawberries are sweeter, crisper, and firmer than common ones. This variety originates from Japan with the original name Tochiotome strawberry. It was brought to Vietnam by a Japanese farmer named Nahana Shojiro. From there, the Tochiotome strawberry variety was called by Moc Chau farmers as ” Hana strawberry “.
A farmer in Moc Chau is harvesting strawberries.
The strawberry season will end 2 months later, so according to Ms. Hanh Nguyen, a seller specializing in this item in District 5 (Ho Chi Minh City), this is the time when strawberries are the best and customers order a lot. This year, the weather is favorable, so the strawberry yield is high and the quality is good. But the selected strawberries only account for 20%, so the price increases at the end of the season.
“Last year, the price of VIP strawberries at the end of the season increased to a million VND per kg but we did not have enough to sell. This year, I have to order in advance to have goods to sell, ” Ms. Hanh Nguyen said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet, an owner of a strawberry garden specializing in supplying large quantities in Moc Chau, said that high-quality strawberries are always bought by customers despite the high price. This type only accounts for 15% of each strawberry garden.
Strawberries type 1 are packed at a garden in Moc Chau.
In addition to Hana strawberries, in Son La, ordinary strawberry varieties are also very attractive to customers and cost 10-15% higher than the prices of Dalat’s strawberries.
According to strawberry cooperatives in Moc Chau, Mai Son, strawberries here are popular because they are cultivated under VietGAP and Global gap standards. The climate is favorable with an average temperature of 17-20 degrees Celsius, so strawberries are crispy, sweet, and fragrant than in other regions. According to growers, an average of one ha of strawberries can bring in an output of 12-15 tonnes with a revenue of 1.1-1.2 billion VND. After deducting the costs, the garden can earn a profit of 350-450 million VND per ha.
According to the Son La Plant Protection and Cultivation Department, the output of strawberries this year is quite abundant. The whole province has 243 ha for harvest with an expected output of 2,332 tonnes. Strawberries here are grown mainly in Mai Son, Moc Chau, and Yen Chau. There are two main varieties: ordinary strawberries are sold at 120,000-300,000 VND per kg and Vietnamese and Japanese strawberries for 400,000-700,000 VND.
The strawberry crop in Son La is planted in about September-October and harvested from December of the previous year to mid-April of the following year. January to March is the time when strawberries have the highest quality./.