Tuyen Quang is a mountainous province in Northeastern Vietnam, 165km far from Hanoi with the geographic coordinates of 21o30’N - 22o40’N and 103o50’E -105040’E. It is bordered by Ha Giang province to the North, Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen provinces to the East, Yen Bai province to the West and Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho provinces to the South. Tuyen Quang province is divided into 5 district, 1 town and 141 Communes, wards and small towns
The green oranges are grown in 15 communes and towns in Ham Yen district, while 9 communes and towns located within the project area include: Yen Thuan, Yen Phu, Bach Xa, Minh Khuong, Minh Dan, Yen Lam, Tan Thanh, Phu Luu and Tan Yen town.
In the season 2015-2016, Ham Yen district has 4037.9 ha of Cam Sanh, of which 2381.8 ha are harvesting (58.9%), the average yield of over 13 tons/ha, production reached 31,075 tons of fruits; total income of over 310 billion VNĐ. Cam Sanh Ham Yen was sold in markets in Hanoi and the northern provinces about 13,000 tons, in Central Provinces about 10,000 tons , in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces about 8,000 tons.
From 2013, Cam Sanh Ham Yen was among the top 10 brands of well-known Vietnam Fruit and it was honored by the Vietnam Farmers' Union on May 2014 as one of the good standard of agricultural production.
In the past few years, locals have tapped its potential while using the VietGap standard, developing local production and profit from Ham Yen oranges.
As a farmer in Phu Luu Commune in Ham Yen District, Tuyen Quang Province said: “I have a diary where I record my crop maintenance. These oranges have been grown under the VietGap standard for 2 years now and they all taste delicious. We stop using pesticide at least 2 months before harvest”.
Oranges grown under VietGap have higher productivity and stable pricing. Along with output support, the safety of the fruit increases the competitiveness of Ham Yen oranges. The manager of Fruit Center, Ham Yen District, Tuyen Quang Province – said: “We will expand the area of fruits grown under the VietGAP model to 700 hectares. Our total current growing area is 5,000 hectares. To apply the VietGAP standard to all these areas is difficult. Thus, in the future, to ensure safety, we will develop the peer-check model among households before inspection”.
The product now sell to many big supermarkets like Big C, Metro, Saigon Co.opmart ... orange products are tested (test) residues of plant protection products regularly, no shipments containing hazardous materials. Ham Yen orange growers are well aware of the value brand orange trees and switch direction VietGAP farming standards.
Orange in Ham Yen season also create jobs for thousands of workers in the area and neighboring localities such as Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc. Many people have incomes million per day from the burden of committed tenants.
Once the plant become operational, it will complete a value chain for the local specialty. The story of Ham Yen orange is just one of the many other Vietnamese products with brands that are being established to help locals flourish financially.
By Mai Huong