Sustainable development of pomelo trees

For a long time, pomelo trees have been considered a tree with high economic value, helping many households in the province escape poverty and become rich. However, in recent years, pomelo production and consumption have encountered many difficulties, and prices have decreased compared to before 2020. Therefore, focusing on deep processing and diversifying pomelo products is an effective solution to increase economic value that the Department of Agriculture is focusing on implementing.

pomelo products have contributed to increasing income and improving the lives of many households in Minh Dai commune, Tan Son district.

Building concentrated pomelo-growing areas

By the end of 2023, the total pomelo growing area in the province will reach about 5,600 hectares, an increase of 140% compared to 2015, with an average output of about 18,000 tons/year. The whole province has built 161 concentrated pomelo growing areas with a total area of ​​2,650 hectares. There are 162 establishments with a total area of ​​1,742 hectares granted growing area codes, of which 144 codes serve domestic consumption, and 18 codes serve export. The area of pomelo produced in a safe direction reaches over 3,100 hectares, with nearly 1,000 hectares certified by VietGAP...

So far, Phu Tho has had 10 cooperatives and pomelo production establishments recognized as OCOP, of which 2 entities have achieved 4-star status, and 8 entities have achieved 3-star status with a registered output of about 10,000 tons/year. The economic value brought by pomelo trees reaches an average of over 800 billion VND/year.

In order to diversify pomelo products in the province, in addition to the Doan Hung specialty pomelo variety, the Department of Agriculture and many households have researched and brought many other pomelo varieties to grow in Phu Tho, such as Dien pomelo with yellow shrimp, Dien pomelo with green shrimp, Xuan Van, Soi Ha pomelo, green-skin pomelo, Tam Van pomelo (wrinkled leaf sugar), Tan Lac pomelo...

In reality, due to high economic efficiency, in many localities, people have actively expanded the pomelo growing area, causing the pomelo area to increase sharply. In addition, neighboring provinces such as Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, and Son La also have policies to strongly develop citrus fruit trees, including pomelo, which has increased the pressure on consumption. The current pomelo variety structure is also unbalanced. In addition to the two specialty pomelo varieties, Bang Luan pomelo and Suu pomelo, Dien pomelo accounts for more than 70% of the remaining pomelo varieties. At the peak of the harvest, supply far exceeds demand, making it difficult to consume the product.

The current situation of spontaneous cutting and grafting of new pomelo varieties is increasingly popular, while pomelo trees are perennial trees, requiring a lot of time to achieve high productivity and quality. New varieties such as pomelo with wrinkled leaves, Cat Que... are attracting people’s attention recently; however, with the current uncontrolled cutting and grafting situation, in the next 3-5 years, when the grafted trees enter the harvest period, it is very easy for products to be harvested en masse at the same time, like the current Dien pomelo variety. Mr. Nguyen Song Toan, head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Doan Hung district, said, The economic efficiency of pomelo trees is very high, convenient for widespread replication. However, for a long time, people have only paid attention to the consumption stage, not paying attention to deep processing and product diversification, so the consumption price is still low. To maintain the pomelo area and promote efficiency, there must be specific solutions to increase the value of pomelo trees, creating peace of mind for pomelo growers to invest in intensive cultivation and improve quality and productivity.

Some products processed from pomelo of Van Don pomelo Cooperative and Agricultural Services have been brought to the market, contributing to increasing the value of pomelo trees.

Improving quality, promoting processing and consumption

In recent years, the Provincial People’s Committee has directed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to review and build areas identified as key areas of each locality, thereby focusing resources and human resources to propagate and disseminate technical knowledge, market trends, and orient people to confidently develop production, gradually building high-quality raw material areas for domestic consumption and export.

The construction of model pomelo gardens applying synchronous scientific and technical advances in production in recent times has affirmed that intensive cultivation has helped to greatly improve the quality of pomelo fruit. Technical measures such as pruning branches to help the garden be airy, reducing pests and diseases; additional pollination to help increase the rate of flower and fruit set; increased use of organic fertilizers, micronutrient fertilizers according to a balanced fertilization process, contributing to increasing plant health, creating sweetness and aroma, thereby improving the quality of pomelo.

Recently, in addition to the main product of pomelo, other products from pomelo, such as peel, pulp, seeds, or pomelos from low-quality young pomelo gardens, can be processed, creating by-products such as pomelo essential oil, pomelo jam, pomelo tea, pomelo wine... have been researched and put into production by some individuals and cooperatives in the province, considered as a solution to increase income from pomelo trees. This is a new approach in the province, with great potential for expansion in production because processing facilities do not need to be located in pomelo areas but can be expanded in districts, cities, towns, and near areas with demand for shopping, easy to access.

Mr. Dao Manh Dat, Director of Van Don pomelo and General Service Cooperative, Van Don Commune, Doan Hung District—one of the pioneers in processing pomelo products, especially using old pomelo, young pomelo... said: "As a pomelo grower, every year I see a lot of old pomelo being thrown away; I feel it is very wasteful. Because I know some places have researched and successfully processed pomelo jam, pomelo essential oil, pomelo wine... so I came to learn and apply at the cooperative with the desire to reduce the waste of old pomelo, diversify products, and increase the economic value of pomelo trees". According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in the coming period, the annual pomelo output will continuously increase due to the new planting area during the harvest period. Besides promoting intensive farming in production and building brands, the consumption linkage also needs to be paid attention to. At the same time, the Department of Agriculture will coordinate with localities to attract businesses to invest in processing pomelo products, especially deep processing, increasing consumption capacity to enhance the value of pomelo products.

Currently, to help farmers expand the market, increase promotion, and introduce agricultural products, including pomelo, in addition to traditional consumption channels and e-commerce channels, the Department of Agriculture has built a digital agricultural map of the province. Through this, consumers can learn about the province’s key agricultural production areas, typical products, prices, and traceability of origin... towards the goal of building a sustainable, green, organic, and environmentally friendly agriculture of the Ancestral Land.

Phan Cuong