For many years, Kon Loc people have lived in the forest, mainly relying on collecting forest products to earn a living. Since the Kbang District Department of Agriculture and Rural Development brought the eyeless pineapple tree to the village for experimental planting, people have been excited to learn and develop their economy.
From the mixed, barren, rocky gardens, the households of Kon Loc 1 village rolled up their sleeves to plow, weed, and plant new pineapple beds in the hope of escaping poverty and having a stable life.
Mr. Dinh Van Pin - a resident of Kon Loc 1 village, Dak Rong commune - said: "Initially, the commune had 16 members who tested the new pineapple variety. Luckily, the pineapple grew well and gave effective yield on the fields. Currently, the market value of the new pineapple variety is quite high compared to regular pineapple, so people are very happy and excited."
The eyeless pineapple has an average weight of 2 - 2.5 kg/fruit. On average, households harvest about 16 tons of pineapple/ha/year.
In particular, the eyeless honey pineapple has a thin skin, small core and is juicy, with a delicious flavor. This type of pineapple is suitable for mixing soft drinks, so it is favored by many beverage businesses.
In terms of value, while other pineapple varieties cost only 3-4 thousand VND/kg, the honey pineapple without eyes costs about 10 thousand VND/kg. The weight of the pineapple is also 2-3 times higher than that of regular pineapple varieties.
In addition, the eyeless honey pineapple variety has low investment costs and quite high profits. However, the disadvantage is that the preservation time is short because the fruit is juicy and easily bruised and damaged when ripe. Therefore, households need to effectively connect to consume agricultural products to stabilize product output.
Mr. Le Van Quang - Chairman of Dak Rong Commune People's Committee, Kbang District - said that the locality has organized training courses, provided seeds and techniques to guide people in production. Currently, the whole commune has more than 40 hectares of eyeless honey pineapple.
According to Mr. Quang, the commune is currently coordinating with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kbang district and the Department of Science and Technology of the province to support the design of packaging, labels, and product branding for pineapple. The district has chosen this plant as a typical agricultural product of the commune under the OCOP Program.
Mr. Ma Van Tinh - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kbang district - shared that by 2025, the district plans to convert about 2,917 hectares of ineffective crops to develop vegetable, fruit tree, medicinal plant production, including pineapple, macadamia, coffee, passion fruit, etc.
The district prioritizes allocating large enough land to attract investment in building factories, deep agricultural processing facilities and developing high-tech agricultural projects to link in product consumption for farmers in the area.
