In late December, grapefruit growers in Dai Minh commune were busy harvesting to serve orders for the Lunar New Year.
Dai Minh grapefruit has been grown for dozens to hundreds of years. Thanks to suitable natural conditions, grapefruit here is different from other regions. It has a thin peel, is sweet and not bitter. Since ancient times, it has been said that grapefruit is offered to the King.
According to Lao Dong's records on December 19, in the grapefruit gardens of Dai Minh commune, the bustling atmosphere started early in the morning when people hurriedly picked each ripe grapefruit and carefully wrapped them in bags.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tranh (70 years old, Dai Minh, Yen Binh) said that her family has about 250 grapefruit trees, but almost all of them have been removed from the garden.
"There are still about 1,000 fruits that have not been picked yet, but the owner has purchased them since a month ago. Depending on the grapefruit variety, the price will fluctuate differently, for example, the price of green-skin grapefruit is about 8,000 VND/fruit, while Dien grapefruit is about 3,000 VND/fruit cheaper," said Ms. Tranh.
With more than 30 years of experience in growing grapefruit, Ms. Duong Thi Dung (52 years old, Dai Minh, Yen Binh) shared that after storm No. 3, many grapefruit growing areas of people were severely damaged.
"Fortunately, thanks to the timely attention of authorities at all levels, people have restored production in time to meet the Lunar New Year market demand. My family has exported more than 2 tons of grade 1 grapefruit to the market, earning tens of millions of dong. We are currently harvesting the smaller grapefruit," said Ms. Dung.
According to Party Secretary and Chairman of Dai Minh Commune People's Committee Nguyen Kieu Hung, after the flood, for the area of completely dead grapefruit trees, the commune recommended that people treat the tree roots, improve the soil, restore production, first of all, plant short-term crops such as winter corn.
“For areas that can be restored, the commune recommends that people prune branches, clear drainage, and continue to care for the trees to restore the canopy. For areas with less than 30% damage, the commune instructs people to ensure drainage, prune branches, and continue to care for them to ensure fruit quality and income for the people,” said Mr. Hung.
Dai Minh commune currently has nearly 500 hectares of grapefruit trees, the age of the trees ranges from a few years to 60-70 years old, some trees are up to 200 years old, bringing in an average of over 50 billion VND each year for the people.
