30% of Vinh oranges stamped with traceability

Most of the orange farms in Nghe An are growing the fragrant, delicious, and good quality Xa Doai orange variety. Since the beginning of November, many orange areas and farms have entered the harvest season. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, orange products are still well consumed and sold at good prices that make orange growers very happy.

Many orange farms get a high yield

Vinh oranges are grown much in districts of Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, Tan Ky, Yen Thanh, Con Cuong, Anh Son, and Thanh Chuong. In recent years, some orange areas in some districts including Quy Hop and Nghia Dan have suffered from yellow leaf, rot root, and Greening diseases due to inadequate investment and care. Heavy and prolonged rain during September and October rainy season also caused fruit dropping for many trees. However, in general, Vinh orange crops this year is still good, especially in Anh Son, Yen Thanh, and Thanh Chuong districts.

Mr. Le Huu Hai, owner of a 2-hectare orange farm in Dinh Son Commune, Anh Son District said this year, many orange farms had lost fruits after prolonged rains. However, on his farm, the rate of orange fruit loss was not significant. Hai estimated most of the orange households in the commune had a good harvest this year and the orange yield can reach about 20 tons/ha on average with delicious and good quality fruits. Currently, he said local orange growers are focusing on using organic fertilizers such as manure of buffalo, cow, pig, and chicken and with little chemicals and no pesticide spraying.

Mr. Dang Dinh Luan, Head of the Anh Son District’s Office of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the whole district currently has 120ha of oranges planted with Xa Doai orange variety in Dinh Son, Cam Son, and Khai Son communes. In general, this year's crop promises a good harvest. The yield can reach 18-20 tons of fruits/ha with delicious quality. Many customers inside and outside the province are now coming to orange farms to sign contracts. Orange farms in the district have also registered to participate in the provincial OCOP program and are completing documents, packaging, and stamped with traceability.

Yen Thanh District is another good example of “getting richer” due to oranges. Oranges in Yen Thanh are grown most in Dong Thanh, Thinh Thanh, and Minh Thanh communes. The district has good geological conditions for orange trees to grow well and to give fragrant and sweet fruits.

Mr. Truong Van Bien, the owner of a 5-ha orange farm in Dong Thanh Commune, said this crop, his orange farm had achieved a high yield of than 20 tons/ha.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Son, Party Committee Secretary of Dong Thanh Commune was excited saying that Dong Thanh not only has a large area of rice land, but in recent years, orange trees have also been strongly developed. In the last two or three years, Dong Thanh continuously had good harvests of orange.

This year's orange crop has 131 hectares, of which 90 hectares are for harvest, the yield is estimated at 19-20 tons/ha. Oranges in Dong Thanh are grown by organic methods and all orange growers are trained by district and provincial agricultural technicians completely following the VietGAP standard or organic agricultural production.

18,000 tons of oranges are stamped with traceability

Nghe An currently has 5,300ha of oranges, of which 3,500ha have been harvested with an average yield of 16 tons/ha. Total output is expected to reach 56,000 tons.

Since 2017, Vinh orange products have been stamped with traceability. Since then, every year, Vinh orange production and trading enterprises have registered to print traceability stamps to stick on each orange before being sold to the market. 

Mr. Nguyen Minh Phong, the owner of an orange farm in Minh Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District, said that his farm is located in the GI zone and production is following the VietGAP process, so the quality is very good and highly trusted by customers.

Ms. Thai Thi Hong Lien, Deputy Sub-Department of Quality Metrology (Nghe An Department of Science and Technology), said that not all orange gardens located in the GI zone of Vinh orange areas are allowed to be stamped with traceability. To be stamped, that gardens must follow the VietGAP process or organic agricultural production.

Ms. Lien assessed that in orange crop 2021, the quality of oranges was not really good in some localities in Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, Tan Ky districts, mainly because oranges there were grown for too long but with little care. Many orange trees are sick, so the yield is not high. Meanwhile, in districts like Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Con Cuong, Yen Thanh, many orange farms have both high productivity and good quality. Some can reach a high yield from 25 - 30 tons of fruits/ha. They completely follow the VietGAP production process.

This year, Nghe An's total orange output is expected to reach 56,000 tons. Of which, through the survey and assessment, about 30% of this year's orange output has been stamped with traceability of Vinh oranges, equivalent to 18,000 tons. A majority of oranges with traceability stamps are concentrated in Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh, Anh Son districts and a few in Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, Tan Ky and Con Cuong districts.

It is expected that this year's harvest of Vinh oranges will start from the beginning of November and last until close to the Lunar New Year.