Guava tree on Dong Cam land

Pear guava trees bring high economic efficiency to local farmers.

From only a few households growing on an area of ​​about 5 hectares, up to now, the pear guava tree has been expanded by the people of Dong Cam commune (Kim Thanh district) to an area of ​​over 20 hectares and is becoming a crop with quite high economic value.

Many advantages

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hai (in Dong Xa Nam village) was the first person to bring pear guava trees to plant on Dong Cam land. About 5 years ago, Mr. Hai went to the Vietnam Agricultural Academy to learn about some plant varieties. After consulting, he realized that Taiwanese pear guava trees produce delicious fruit and have quite high productivity, so he bought seeds to test plant on more than 1 sao of his home garden. After nearly 1 year, the tree produced its first crop of fruit. The fruit is fragrant, crispy, and tastier than traditional guava varieties being grown in some localities, and the consumption market is very favorable. After that, Mr. Hai invested in more seedlings, expanding the area to more than 3 sao. According to Mr. Hai, growing pear guava requires little investment and does not require much care. A tree planted once can be exploited for 5-6 years before having to be replaced with a new one. On average, each sao has 40-45 trees. On average, each tree yields 40-50 kg of fruit each year. After deducting expenses, his family earns about 18 million VND/sao/year.

Quickly picking the golden, plump guavas in time for the traders to come and buy, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet (in Dong Xa Nam village) said that this year's guava consumption is favorable. At this time, traders buy at an average price of 10,000 VND/kg. Currently, her family grows more than 1 hectare of guava, harvesting about 500 kg per day. "At first, my family only had 3 sao, now we grow over 1 hectare," Ms. Tuyet said. With the above guava growing area, Ms. Tuyet's family earns an average profit of 150 - 170 million VND per year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet's family has more than 1 hectare of guava, earning an average profit of 150 - 170 million VND per year.

Branding

Ms. Luong Thi Tan, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Dong Xa Nam Village, who is also a pear guava grower in the village, said that from only a few households growing, up to now the whole village has nearly 200 households growing over 20 hectares of pear guava. The entire area of ​​pear guava growing was previously low-lying land, mainly growing rice, with low economic efficiency. Ms. Tan added that in order for the pear guava tree to have even branches, after 4-5 months of planting, it is necessary to prune the tops, cut the branches, and control the height for easy care and harvesting. In the dry season, water should be regularly watered to provide moisture, and fertilize with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, etc. When the guava is ready for harvest, after each fruit picking period, continue to prune the branches, fertilize, and care for the guava to give the highest yield and quality. Dong Xa Nam pear guava is currently consumed in the markets of Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, and Hanoi.

Mr. Dong Minh Hien, Chairman of Dong Cam Commune People's Committee, said that this year the commune is implementing the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) program for guava. The commune directed Dong Gia Agricultural Service Cooperative to guide people to produce according to VietGAP standards. In June 2023, Dong Gia Agricultural Service Cooperative and the Commune Farmers' Association also guided guava growers to establish the model "Association of Professional Farmers for Safe Production and Consumption of Dong Cam Guava". In early August, the Provincial Farmers' Association organized the awarding of origin traceability stamps and bags containing guava products to members of the Association of Professional Farmers for Safe Production and Consumption of Dong Cam Guava. This is the first agricultural product of Kim Thanh district to be affixed with an origin traceability stamp. "These are the first steps in building OCOP for Dong Cam guava, moving towards building the Dong Cam guava brand. This contributes to enhancing the position of Dong Cam guava in particular and Kim Thanh district in general," said Mr. Hien.

TRUONG HA