Dong Lai commune expands off-season dragon fruit farming

5/13/2023 - 12:13:51 PM

(HBO) – Farmers in Dong Lai commune in Tan Lac district have successfully piloted and are expanding the model of off-season red flesh dragon fruit farming as it helps increase income and improve people’s living conditions.

An off-season dragon fruit farm in Doi Bung hamlet, Dong Lai commune.

After visiting the models in the northern provinces of Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho, farmers in Dong Lai commune in 2021 carried out a pilot programme on growing 1,000 m2 of off-season dragon fruit in Doi Bung hamlet.

The red flesh dragon fruit grows well in the area. Up to now, the whole commune has replicated fruit dragon farming on two hectares. Many households have considered it the main source of income.

Red flesh dragon fruit grown with the conventional method is 20,000 VND (0.85 USD) per kilo, so farmers can get a profit of 250-300 million VND per ha per year.

With lighting techniques to produce off-season fruits, there are 4-5 crops per year instead of 2-3 crops as usual. Thus, farmers can harvest fruit almost all year round with guaranteed quality.

During the Lunar New Year celebration and the full moon of January, gardeners always have fruit to supply to the market.

Bui Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of Dong Lai Commune People's Committee, said that the pilot model in Doi Bung hamlet fully meets the requirements in the capital, farming techniques, fertilisers, and lighting system. Proving effective after two years, the model is expanded in many hamlets with similar conditions.

Farmer Bui Van Thanh, from Doi Bung hamlet, said as being chosen to join the pilot model, he converted his garden to grow dragon fruits. Seeing the farming beneficial, he expanded the area to 3,000 m2 with 600 trees.

The fruiting season is on the occasion of the Lunar New Year festival and the full moon of lunar January. He can sell a kilo of fruit for 30,000-35,000 VND, one and a half times higher than the price in the main crop.

Bui Thi Khuyen, from Doi Bung hamlet, said her family planted 200 off-season red flesh dragon fruit trees and earned nearly 30 million VND, equal to the profit she got in a year from maize farming.

Dong Lai commune authorities have been taking measures to engage farmers in off-season dragon fruit farming. They also help promote linkage between growers and businesses, strengthen trade promotion, and find markets for the fruit./.

Hoa Binh fast-tracks new-style countryside development with strong base

Once a mountainous province facing many challenges, Hoa Binh has, after more than a decade of implementing the national target programme on new-style rural area development, emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous region. In the first quarter of 2025, the province recorded positive results, paving the way for Hoa Binh to enter a phase of accelerated growth with a proactive and confident mindset.

High tech seen as key to sustainable farming in Hoa Binh

Hoa Binh province is steadily advancing its agricultural sector through the adoption of high-tech solutions, seen as a sustainable path for long-term development.

Hoa Binh reviews progress on key provincial projects

The steering committee for key projects of Hoa Binh province convened on May 14 to assess the progress of major ongoing developments

Hoa Binh attends "Meet Korea 2025" event

A delegation of Hoa Binh province has attended the "Meet Korea 2025" event, recently held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the People's Committee of Hung Yen province.

Hoa Binh revives local heritage through OCOP programme

Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.

OCOP Hoa Binh: Awakening local excellence - Journey from tradition to market

From just 16 certified products in its inaugural year to 158 by early 2025, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in Hoa Binh province has followed a steady and strategic path. But beyond the numbers, it has reawakened local heritage, turning oranges, bamboo shoots, brocade, and herbal remedies into branded, market-ready goods - and, more profoundly, transformed how local communities value and present their own cultural identity.