(HBO) – We returned to Dong Lai, one of the communes which specialise in growing pomelos. Head of Dong Tien hamlet Le Duc Canh, who took us on a tour around pomelo growing households, said local residents are enjoying a bumper pomelo crop this year.
Vu Van Bay’s family in Dong
Tien hamlet, Dong Lai commune, Tan Lac district, plant nearly one hectare of
pomelos with about 250 trees. Of which 90 trees are yield fruits this crop.
Thanks to farmers’ improved cultivation
techniques, the pomelo productivity has been raised significantly, from about
200 fruits in the previous crops to 400-500 per tree in this crop. Many farmers
like Tran Cong Dam and Luong Ba Cuong even harvested 500-600 fruits from each
pomelo tree.
In the previous crop, each pomelo fruit was sold for from 25,000-30,000 VND. If
the price averages 20,000 VND, farmers can earn about 4 million VND from 200
fruits, and nearly 10 million VND per tree each year. Therefore, tens of pomelo
trees can help farmers pocket hundreds of millions of VND. Local farmers are
now planting pomelos in their orchards, hills and fields.
All 67 households in Dong Tien hamlet have grown rosy-pulped pomelos. They have
turned their gardens into pomelo orchards. About 16 out of
20 hectares of pomelos
in the hamlet are ready for harvest. Many farmers have leased land and joined
hands with their peers in other communes to grow pomelos.
With favourable soil and weather conditions, Dong Lai is seen as the home land
of pomelos. Traders have come to order pomelos of this crop with prices equal
to last year’s. Local farmers are expected to get higher earnings.
Some
68 hectaresout of
168 hectaresof pomelos in Dong Lai commune are in the harvest period. Households growing
pomelos have savings. Many with more than one hectares of pemelos can earn hundreds of millions of VND each year.
Head of Tan Lac district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Division Vu Quang
Hung said Resolution No. 10-NQ/HU of the district’s Party Committee on rosy-pulped
and green skin pomelo development during the 2013-2020 period has been brought
into life. In 2016, the district had
800 hectares of pomelos,
with
85 hectaresof newly-grown trees,
226
hectares yielding fruits and
489 hectares of pomelo
trees of 1-3 years old. Pomelos are grown mostly in communes along 12B
National Highway,
including Dong Lai, Thanh Hoi, Man Duc, Tu Ne and Quy Hau. Rosy-pulped pomelos
can be grown at a density of 200 trees per hectare, with each tree producing
150-200 fruits and each ha yielding 30,000-40,000 fruits. A pomelo fruit is
sold at prices ranging from 20,000-30,000 VND.
Green skin pomelos require more complicated cultivation techniques and higher
investment, therefore, a green pomelo fruit costs about 50,000-80,000 VND, even
100,000 VND at certain times. Many households said they can earn billions of VND
per hectare.
With a larger area and higher output, this year’s pomelo crop, from October to
December, is expected to bring great benefits to local farmers.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
