"Sweet fruit" on acid sulfate soil
Since switching to growing soursop, thanks to this tree adapting well to acid sulfate soil, each year, Mr. Tran Van My's family (Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province) earns from 350 - 450 million VND/ha, depending on the time.
It is known that before, his family cultivated many types of crops such as oranges, guavas,... but the productivity was low, the output was unstable, so they switched to growing soursop. On average, a perennial tree will yield from 100 - 150 kg/year.
"This alum land is well adapted to soursop. On average, the tree bears fruit twice a year, with the selling price ranging from 18,000 to 30,000 VND/kg. To have fruit all year round, I also learned how to pollinate flowers, which helps to increase profits," said Mr. My.
Meanwhile, at 0.5 hectares of garden land of Ms. Nguyen Hong Doan (Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province), thanks to the recent soursop tea fever, the price of this agricultural product has increased, and profits have also skyrocketed.
"When soursop tea was a hot trend, the price of soursop increased from 80,000 to 110,000 VND. After that, although it decreased, compared to before, the price of soursop was still higher, plus the productivity was quite good so the profit was high," said Ms. Doan.
Increase the value of agricultural products
To increase the value of agricultural products and profits, Ms. Hong Doan's family also researched and processed soursop into tea to supply the market. After 4 years of starting the business, Ms. Doan's soursop tea was certified as 3-star OCOP, accepted by the market with sales of more than 300 kg/month.
Ms. Doan said: "I always want to increase the value of agricultural products so that I can both sell the fruits and process them, thereby bringing in higher profits and helping farmers escape the situation of relying on traders."
Not only does it help increase the value of agricultural products after processing, Ms. Doan's tea production facility also hires workers with a salary of 120 - 150 thousand VND/day, contributing to solving employment in the locality.
According to the review of the agricultural sector of Hau Giang province, the whole province has over 700 hectares of soursop, concentrated in Long My and Phung Hiep districts. Production is carried out by cooperatives and farmers according to safety standards, GAP and is expected to open up a direction for developing post-processed products and exports to increase the value of agricultural products.
