In recent years, when the sugarcane price goes down, many farmers along Vam Co Dong river, Duc Hoa district, Long An province have actively converted crops. In particular, the guava growing model under the VietGAP standard has brought high economic and ecological environmental value.
Three years ago, Ms. Nguyen Thi To, a member of the cooperative group of Hoa Khanh Tay commune, decided to convert 0.5 ha of sugarcane to guava intercropped with lime. Up to now, 300 guava trees and 200 lime trees of her family have been harvested for more than a year, bringing in an income three times higher than sugarcane cultivation.
BIOSAFETY CULTIVATION
Thanks to the cooperation of the cooperative group, Ms. Nguyen Thi To has applied the method of cultivation and care towards biosafety, eliminating harmful chemicals, only fertilizing organic fertilizers around the roots, and removing weeds by cutters, helping to reduce costs and protect the environment.
Guava’s growing model towards biosafety brings in higher efficiency. (Photo: Internet)
According to Ms. To, it is not too difficult to grow guavas, the most important thing is adequate watering, and the distance between the trees is not too close for them to be eligible to grow. Every 6 months, it is necessary to prune once to cut branches not to exceed the standard height, making the trees bear more fruits and easy for growers to harvest.
“When guava trees bear fruits, I wrap the fruit to prevent the pests from affecting the yield and quality of the guava. Fruit wrapping also helps to limit the number of pesticides, contributing to reducing ecological environmental pollution, and ensuring the health of producers, ” Ms. To said.
Thanks to clean production and the focus on food safety, the consumption market of Ms. To’s family is quite stable. On average, each month, she sells over 300 kg of guava and 200 kg of lime, bringing an income of 4-6 million VND after reducing costs.
Guava’s growing model, especially guava intercropped with limes model is developing strongly in Duc Hoa district, with a total area of approximately 100 ha. Hoa Khanh Tay commune alone has over 10 ha.
To meet the market demand for clean food, many guava growers have applied the VietGAP production standard with “four rights” (right type, right dose, right way, and right time) in the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
CONSUMPTION MARKET EXPANSION
According to the representative of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Duc Hoa district, the guava growing model under the VietGAP standard is showing great potential, not only economically but also ecologically environment. Since it is very difficult to grow crops on this land, guava or guava intercropped with lime growing models is a solution to make good use of vacant land.
Quality will be the “key” for Duc Hoa guava to be promoted. (Photo: Internet)
The model of guava cultivation does not require too much investment costs as well as care but has helped many households in Duc Hoa district have regular income to cover daily living expenses.
Since it doesn’t take much time, in addition to guava, farmers can still cultivate and take care of the land, raise cows or goats, and do carpentry.
As the production process is gradually being completed towards biosafety and environmental friendliness, Duc Hoa district is actively developing the brand to expand the consumption market for guava growers.
From 2016 up to now, many cooperative groups of mango cultivation in the district have been established, thereby linking farmers to develop clean production, improve product quality, and create prestige with purchasing partners.
Currently, in addition to local consumption in traditional markets in the province, VietGAP guava has been taken for consumption in many neighboring provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Can Tho, Dong Thap, etc. The selling price is stable at 15,000 – 20,000 VND/kg.
In the coming time, Duc Hoa district is expected to continue to support households to grow guava under VietGAP organic process, create clean and high-quality products, complete packaging and labels to increase identification, and create trust with consumers, thereby raising the brand name of VietGAP Duc Hoa guava./.