At the end of the year, the demand for soursop consumption to produce post-processed products increased, pushing up the price of this agricultural product. Currently, soursop in the Mekong Delta region is purchased by traders at 40,000 - 57,000 VND/kg, an increase of about 15,000 VND/kg compared to the same period.
The 1,000m2 soursop garden of Mr. Le Huu Vinh's family (Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province) is in season. However, due to the influence of the weather, the fruit set rate is low, and the season is just starting, so the output sold to traders is still low, which makes him regretful.
"Last week, my family sold 100kg to traders, the remaining fruit was not big enough and had not yet fully bloomed. Traders bought it for 40,000 VND/kg, they bought it and sold it to tea companies, this price is 10,000 VND/kg higher than last year," said Mr. Vinh.
To have the tree bear fruit from October to May of the following year, this gardener will pollinate it about 4 months in advance (around June - July). On average, in the first years, the tree produces about 30 - 45 kg of fruit, in the following years the quantity increases, possibly reaching about 70 kg/tree.
As for Mr. Nguyen Van Tam's household (Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province), thanks to production according to VietGAP standards, the selling price is about 3,000 VND/kg higher than the market price.
To increase the value of agricultural products, this gardener also researches processing products into tea and jam to supply the market, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year.
"This year's custard apple output is quite low, so my family mainly buys from the people around and processes it. The price of custard apple has increased by 10,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, but there is still a shortage of goods," said Mr. Tam.
According to gardeners, thanks to its good adaptation to soil conditions and high economic value, in recent years gardeners have expanded the area of soursop cultivation. On average, each hectare brings in an income of 150 - 200 million VND, sometimes up to 300 million VND, depending on the time.
According to statistics from the agricultural sector of Hau Giang province, the whole province currently has more than 710 hectares of soursop, mainly concentrated in Phung Hiep and Long My districts.
According to the development orientation, by 2025, the province's soursop growing area will be 1,000 hectares, with an output of 10,000 tons/year. Applying science and technology, producing according to GAP standards or equivalent, aiming for organic production.
