Tien Giang shifts to growing fruit trees with high value
The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has replaced rice by fruit trees in over 2,300ha of land since the start of the year, said Cao Van Hoa, Acting Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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The cultivation of fruit trees with high economic value is part of the province’s efforts to restructure agricultural production toward improving products’ quality and values.
Tien Giang has zoned off more than 7,000ha in Cai Lay district, Cai Lay town and surrounding areas for growing durians. Over 5,000ha of dragon fruit trees have been grown in the districts of Cho Gao, Go Cong Tay and Tan Phuoc.
Durian and dragon fruits have become major products of Tien Giang with high export values. Local farmers earned between VND800 million and VND1 billion (US$35,200-44,000) per hectare in the recent crop.
Cho Gao dragon fruits and Ngu Hiep durians of the province have recently been registered for the collective trademark.
Ngo Van Cung, a farmer in Long Tien commune of Cai Lay district, grows durians on an area of 5,000 sq.m. He harvests about 13 tonnes of the fruit each year, raking in around VND400 million.
To date, Tien Giang has expanded its orchard area to nearly 74,000ha, or 98% of the annual plan and a rise of 1.3% year-on-year.
According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the locality reaped more than 1.2 million tonnes of fruits since the beginning of 2017, reaching 86% of this year’s plan and up 4.7% compared to the previous year.
