Thanks to its good adaptation to soil and climate conditions, pineapple - a plant that produces delicious, high-value "hundred-eyed" fruit - has not only helped many households in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province escape poverty but also become rich.
Starting to grow pineapple for business in 2016 with 3,000m2, up to now, Mr. Ly A Vu's family - Na Sang village, Na Sang commune, Muong Cha district has a total pineapple growing area of up to 3.5 hectares, of which 2 hectares of pineapple are harvested and 1.5 hectares are newly planted this year. In 2023, Mr. Vu's family had an income of over 200 million VND from pineapple.
“Compared to growing corn or cassava, growing pineapple brings 7-8 times higher economic efficiency. Thanks to that, my family has escaped poverty since 2017,” said Mr. Vu.
To achieve the success he has today, Mr. Vu has constantly learned from experience, from choosing quality pineapple varieties to applying farming techniques. However, in the early years, he encountered many difficulties because he had not yet mastered the techniques.
Thanks to the support of Na Sang Pineapple Cooperative, in addition to Mr. Ly A Vu's family, Mr. Vu A Chu's family - Na Sang village has also successfully converted ineffective rice growing areas to pineapple growing. After only the first year of experimental planting of 1 hectare of pineapple, Mr. Chu's family has now harvested the first batches of pineapples.
Mr. Chu also said that in the coming time, his family will continue to expand the pineapple growing area to increase income on ineffective sloping land areas.
Over the years, Muong Cha pineapple has become famous for its Queen pineapple variety, which is large in size and has a distinctive delicious flavor. This pineapple variety not only adapts well to climate and soil conditions but also has high productivity.
The pineapple harvest in Muong Cha usually lasts from September to June of the following year. According to the Lao Dong Newspaper, along National Highway 12 through Na Sang Commune, the first ripe pineapples of the season have been sold. The price ranges from 10,000-12,000 VND/kg for large fruits, while small fruits are peeled and sold by the people in bags for 10,000 VND.
Mr. Le Thanh Tam - Director of Na Sang Pineapple Cooperative - said that the cooperative currently has 75 members with a pineapple growing area of about 400 hectares, accounting for more than 80% of the total pineapple growing area of Muong Cha district.
“Currently, with standard pineapples, from 500g and up, people are selling them for 10,000 VND/kg to traders. Smaller pineapples are mainly sold retail,” said Mr. Tam.
It is expected that this year’s pineapple crop will have about 13,000 tons sold to the market. With an average yield of 35-38 tons/ha, pineapple has affirmed its position as a strategic crop in hunger eradication and poverty reduction.
Mr. Tam emphasized: “To ensure product output, since 2019, the cooperative has signed contracts with 3 businesses to purchase all output. Thanks to that, people are much more secure, no longer worrying about a good harvest but low prices.”
Currently, Muong Cha people are switching to growing pineapples according to VietGAP standards to continue improving quality and brand value.
