Opportunity to improve the quality of oranges

In recent times, the price of sweet oranges (CS) has been continuously low due to slow consumption. To cut costs, many gardeners have been forced to reduce investment, use less fertilizer and pesticides, and switch to organic and safe farming. Thanks to this, the CS fruit has gradually become cleaner, tastier, and of improved quality.

In recent times, the price of sweet oranges (CS) has been continuously low due to slow consumption. To cut costs, many gardeners have been forced to reduce investment, use less fertilizer and pesticides, and switch to organic and safe farming. Thanks to this, the CS fruit has gradually become cleaner, tastier, and of improved quality.

Farmers are gradually changing their production mindset, growing oranges in an organic direction to save costs.

Slow consumption market

According to the agricultural sector, in the past, CS had high prices, so farmers rushed to invest in growing CS in the immediate future. Many farming households agreed to rent land to expand CS growing area, following the market and exceeding the planned area. Farmers continuously expanded the orange growing area, causing the area and output to increase sharply.

However, weak purchasing power while large supply leads to the situation of "supply exceeding demand", "good harvest - low price". Besides, CS is an agricultural product that has not been processed, exported and preserved. Currently, CS fruit in the locality is mainly consumed fresh in the domestic market.

Many farmers said that in recent years, the price of oranges has dropped to the point where farmers have lost money. While there was a time when orange prices were low and the market was good because consumers bought a lot of oranges to cool off, now the purchasing power of oranges is also weak, making it even more difficult for farmers to find outlets.
In Tra On district, for beautiful orange gardens, the price is only from 2,000-3,500 VND/kg depending on the percentage of best quality fruit and the garden location.

The rest, traders buy at lower prices, in some places only 1,800-2,000 VND/kg. In fact, many traders only buy beautiful oranges. In this situation, some farmers cut their own oranges and bring them to crowded places to sell retail. This reduces harvesting costs and sells them at higher prices. However, this is only a temporary solution.

Having just sold 4 hectares of oranges, Mr. Tran Van Muoi ( Hoa Binh commune, Tra On district) said: "I sold them for 3,300 VND/kg, a better price than the surrounding gardens, but this price only recovers a part of the cost". Ms. Huynh Thanh Thuy (Hieu Thanh commune, Vung Liem district) said: "The price of oranges has decreased in recent months, I dare not fertilize or spray pesticides like before for fear of losing more. The price is only 2,500 VND/kg. I have to pick them to sell retail, 10,000 VND/3kg, beautiful oranges are 5,000-7,000 VND/kg. Every penny is worth it".

Some orange buyers said that since the beginning of the year, the orange consumption market has been very slow, with purchasing power decreasing by 30-50% compared to the same period. Mr. Nguyen Van Trung (Trung Hiep commune, Vung Liem district) said: "Last year, the price of oranges was at 4,000-5,000 VND/kg, the market consumed 1-1.2 tons/day. However, since the beginning of the year, the price of oranges has been very low, with consumption of only a few hundred kg/day."

Now the oranges are tastier and of better quality.

With the decrease in orange prices, farmers have also changed their production thinking, shifting to safer and more economical farming to reduce production costs. According to calculations, if not counting the stage of constructing the CS garden, the cost from flowering treatment to fruit harvest ranges from 40-50 million VND/cong. Currently, it is only 30-40 million VND/cong. The difference is mainly due to farmers reducing the cost of fertilizers and pesticides, focusing on reducing the number of times they fertilize and spray pesticides in the same fruit season.

Ms. Huynh Thanh Thuy said: “Before, I spread fertilizer every 10 days, spraying pesticides once a month, but now I spread fertilizer every 1-1.5 months, spraying pesticides once every 2-3 months. Oranges are cheap, so I limit my investment. But in return, when I sell oranges in retail, I see that consumers say they are more delicious and last longer.” In addition to farmers proactively reducing fertilizers and pesticides to reduce costs, in recent times, the district and provincial professional departments have also implemented and expanded models of growing oranges in the direction of integrated disease management, reducing costs, and improving quality.

Mr. Phan Van Bay - Vinh Xuan commune (Tra On district) said: "Before, I was not familiar with orange growing techniques. When I saw that the oranges were slightly sick, I sprayed pesticides. When I saw that the oranges were not doing well, I spread fertilizer. Since being instructed to grow oranges in a safe way, I have reduced the amount of fertilizer, so the efficiency is higher. Thanks to that, I have reduced production costs, the oranges still ensure yield and the quality of the oranges has also been improved."

Mr. Vo Thanh Liem - owner of a fruit selling point (Long Ho district) said: I go to the orange gardens to buy and sell to consumers. I try each garden to have a basis for determining a reasonable purchase price and also to introduce to buyers. Comparing the past years, I clearly see the change in the quality of Vinh Long oranges. If oranges could be preserved for 3-4 days before, now they can be preserved for 1 week, the oranges are sweeter, tastier, so consumers also like them more.

Compared to the past, the quality of Vinh Long oranges has now been improved, with higher sweetness and longer natural preservation time. Reducing dependence on chemicals is a positive step towards sustainable farming. However, for clean oranges to truly become a competitive advantage, it is necessary to apply many solutions synchronously, have a mechanism to support consumption and provide guidance on organic growing techniques for farmers.

According to the functional sector, in order for CS to have a stable consumption market and increase the value of CS plants, first of all, it is necessary to identify the main cause as the economic law of supply and demand and control this law in two ways. When there is a surplus, it is necessary to increase processing and preservation to reduce the amount brought to the market and standardize agricultural products for a smooth market. In the coming time, farmers need to maintain the area of ​​CS being grown and should not rush to expand the area and must plant according to the regional planning.

Encourage farmers to produce according to VietGAP standards, produce according to organic standards, create clean and safe products so that consumers prefer and prioritize the use of organic products. At the same time, consolidate and improve the quality of operations of organic cooperatives. Strengthen the connection between farmers, businesses and consumers through supply and market management systems to structure the crop season appropriately.

At the same time, we need to strengthen the development of growing area codes, call on businesses to invest in processing fresh fruit and aim to export CS to foreign markets. In addition, we need to promote the application of technology in production and marketing such as traceability, online sales, and geographical indication registration to create trust for consumers.

Article and photos: TRA MY

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202506/co-hoi-de-nang-chat-luong-trai-cam-sanh-2c90c58/