During Tet banana season

Banana is identified as one of the province’s key crops with a current growing area of more than 3,500 hectares, including over 30 concentrated production areas with an area of about 1,100 hectares. Bananas bring products all year round, however, the Lunar New Year is one of the main harvest times, so from the full moon of the Lunar December onwards, the province’s banana growing areas are bustling with trucks and motorbikes coming in and out to buy bananas.

Bananas are grown in concentrated areas in the districts of Lam Thao, Thanh Ba, Cam Khe, Ha Hoa, and Tam Nong, mainly in beach areas. Thanks to fertile alluvium, banana trees grow quickly, have plump fruit, with few pests and diseases, and do not require much care or investment costs. The vast banana fields are planted methodically in rows by rows on a large scale. From November to the beginning of the December of the lunar calendar, almost all the bananas in the gardens to serve Tet have been booked, just waiting for the due day to be handed over to traders.

Blue Sea Trading and Service Company Limited, Vinh Chan commune, Ha Hoa district has about 50 hectares of bananas. During Tet, about 11,000 bunches of bananas are served to the market, including 6,000 bunches of Cavendish bananas and 5,000 bunches of Latundan bananas. In the long banana fields, there are all kinds of bananas, some are big, some are small, some are about to be harvested.

Mr. Ha Van Tuan - Production Manager of the Company said: “We have calculated so that bananas can be harvested scatteredly at different times, a part is to serve Tet, another part is to serve after Tet and other months of the year. To serve the Tet season, Cavendish bananas are usually sown around February, while Latundan bananas are sown in December. By the beginning of the lunar December, all bananas for Tet have been ordered by traders at an average price of about 12,000 - 15,000 VND/ kg depending on each type. Tet bananas mainly serve the domestic market, particularly Cavendish bananas mainly serve the Northern market, while Latundan bananas serve the Central and Southern markets. Banana prices started to increase from November, so this year’s Tet bananas are at good prices.”

During this Tet holiday, banana fields have brought members of Hoang Cuong Safe Banana Cooperative, Hoang Cuong commune, Thanh Ba district, a significant source of income. The year 2023 has two lunar Februaries, combined with hot weather, some banana areas will be harvested 1-2 months earlier than expected. In September and October 2023, banana prices are very low, at only about 3,000 VND/kg, so in the month leading up to Tet, when banana prices have increased, people are very excited.

Around Tet, bunches of bananas on trucks are consumed in all provinces and cities. Convoys of vehicles followed each other going in and out of the banana areas, people had a bumper harvest, bringing a full Spring.

Nguyen Hue