Once a poor mountainous area of Ha Tinh province, Mai Hoa commune (merged from An Phu, Duc Giang and Duc Linh communes) has been gradually improved in recent years thanks to lemon tree cultivation. Lemon trees are not only easy to grow and suitable for hilly land, but also bring stable income, helping many households escape poverty and become well-off and rich households in the locality.
In early July, people in Mai Hoa commune are busy harvesting lemons. On the hillsides, trucks carrying lemons are bustling in and out. Many families are starting to earn millions of dong a day from selling lemons in their gardens.
According to local people, more than 10 years ago, lemons were only grown sporadically and fragmentedly in home gardens for household use. However, realizing that this lemon variety is suitable for hilly land, easy to grow, has few pests and diseases, and produces fruit all year round, people in Mai Hoa commune began to expand the area.
In Cao Phong village, Mai Hoa commune, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuong's family is one of the household with the largest lemon growing area in the region with a total area of over 2 hectares. Mrs. Thuong's hill of 800 lemon trees is being harvested. Every day, she and her relatives go up the hill from early morning to pick lemons in time to deliver to traders. Mrs. Thuong expects to harvest about 36 tons of fruit, with a revenue of about 300 million VND.
"Thanks to lemon trees, my family has not only escaped poverty but also had food and savings. Lemons are easy to grow, easy to care for, and have a stable output, so we are very excited," Ms. Like shared.
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Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuong (Cao Phong village) harvests lemons for sale to traders. |
In Cao Phong village, Mr. Nguyen Van An is also one of the effective lemon growers. With more than 300 trees, each crop he harvests nearly 15 tons of fruit, selling to the market at an average price of 9,000 VND/kg, bringing in an income of more than 100 million VND.
"For growing lemon trees, the planting technique is not too difficult, the important thing is to choose a quality lemon variety and take care of it according to each stage of development. For example, our family mainly uses organic fertilizers to limit the use of chemical fertilizers, so the trees are healthy. Thanks to lemon trees, my family has a year-round income," Mr. An shared.
From a single, spontaneous crop, lemon has become a key crop in Mai Hoa commune, helping hundreds of households escape poverty and stabilize their lives. Many households not only escape poverty but also accumulate, expand their production models and become well-off, rich households from the agricultural sector right on their family's hill garden.
These days, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan's family (Cua Linh village, Mai Hoa commune) is also excited about the lemon harvest. Currently, her family grows nearly 50 trees, harvesting 1-2 quintals of fruit each day to sell to traders. The current price of lemons in the garden ranges from 8,000 - 9,000 VND/kg. With the long harvest time, she estimates that the whole season will yield nearly 2 tons of lemons, equivalent to more than 15 million VND.
“Lemon trees are harvested twice a year, the main crop from July to the end of August, the fruit crop from the end of December to February of the following year. If properly managed for, the lifespan of a lemon tree can be up to more than 20 years. In recent years, every harvest season, traders come to the garden to buy, making selling less difficult for farmers,” Loan shared.
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Lemons are harvested by people and sold to traders. |
Mr. Nguyen Van Nghi - Secretary of the Party Cell of Cua Linh village (Mai Hoa commune) said that currently, the whole village has more than 80 households growing lemons, each household has an average of 50-100 lemon trees. For many years, lemon trees have become the main crop, bringing in a good income for the people, an average of 30-50 million VND/household per crop.
"Lemon trees are very suitable for the hilly soil in this area. People only need to take care of them properly and add organic fertilizers for the trees to grow well, bear fruit, and rarely fall off. Lemon trees are the trees of the poor who strive to become rich," said Mr. Nguyen Van Nghi, Secretary of the Party Cell of Cua Linh village.
According to people's experience, lemons begin to bear fruit 12-18 months after planting and can be harvested continuously for 15-20 years. Thanks to two distinct crops, lemon growers can earn income all year round, without interruption like many other crops.
According to statistics from the People's Committee of Mai Hoa commune, there are nearly 350 hectares of lemon trees in the area, of which the total area for production is 300 hectares, with an estimated total output of about 7,500 tons. Each kilogram of lemon is being purchased by traders at the garden at a price of 8,000-10,000 VND, depending on the type. The local government is also actively supporting people in technical aspects, production organization and market connection. At the same time, it is coordinated with functional agencies to monitor prices, prevent price gouging, and protect farmers' rights.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/chia-khoa-giup-nguoi-dan-xa-mien-nui-thoat-ngheo-post1758517.tpo
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