Pomelo growers in Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province are busy preparing to harvest and supply high-quality products to the market on the occasion of the 2024 Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

A pomelo farm at Tan Huong hamlet, Thanh Hoi commune, Tan
Lac district.
In Tan Lac district, there are 1,108 ha of pomelo, including 885 ha of
red-flesh pomelo, 67 ha of green-skinned pomelo, and 134 ha of Dien pomelo. The
district has 11 cooperatives and five cooperative groups operating in the field
of pomelo farming and trading.
Six local cooperatives have received planting area codes for
export to the EU market, with a total area of 153 ha while two facilities were
granted codes to export to the New Zealand market, with an area of 46.8 ha. The district sees an annual pomelo output of over 17,000 tonnes.
Each ha of pomelo generates about 190 million VND (7,760 USD) on average.
Currently, some pomelo growing areas in communes like Thanh Hoi,
Dong Lai, and Tu Ne can generate about 380 - 415 million VND per ha per year. This year, people in Thanh Hoi commune in particular and people
of Tan Lac district in general are happy to see 13.5 tonnes or 13,400 pomelos
exported to the UK market, a sharp increase from 5,400 fruits in 2022 and 8,000
fruits in 2023.
Bui Van Thao, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoi commune People's
Committee said that the pomelo growing area has been expanded in the locality.
Now, local farmers are paying much attention to nursing trees
and preserving fruits so that they can supply to market high-quality products
during the Tet celebration.
Duong Tat Tinh, one of the first and best pomelo growers in Thanh Hoi commune
said that he grows more than 200 trees in his 4,600-sq.m farm." This year, the weather is favourable so the fruit yield is
higher than previous year,” he said, adding that now, the price is lower. Wholesalers from neighbouring districts pay about 8,000 - 10,000
VND for a pomelo at the gardens.
Meanwhile, red-flesh pomelo farming has helped members of Binh Minh Services
and Rural Development Cooperative escape poverty and get a stable source of
income.
Nguyen Thi Oanh, director of the cooperative predicted that the
pomelo price during the Lunar New Year this year will not increase much.
However, pomelo growers are still happy as almost all their products have been
ordered already.
Besides Thanh Hoi commune, many localities in the Tan Lac
district are eyeing to expand pomelo growing areas. However, the district
authorities want to keep the growing areas unchanged and apply technical
advances to replace degraded pomelo areas with low-quality.
After more than four years of implementing a project launched by the Hoa Binh Party Committee’s Standing Board on developing agriculture and promoting product consumption linked with building new-style rural areas for the 2021-2025 period, the province’s industry and trade sector has made significant strides, greatly contributing to local socio-economic development.
Luong Son district has identified 2025 as the year for the accelerated breakthrough to successfully implement the socio-economic development plan for the 5-year period from 2021 to 2025. The district has been focusing on executing the plans and trying to achieve a GRDP growth rate of approximately 15%.
Since the beginning of this year, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Product Quality Management has strengthened the integration of the professional activities to promote and guide the organizations and individuals in the production and trading of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to comply with the legal regulations regarding the use of chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. They also provide guidance to processing and manufacturing establishments on keeping the records to trace the product origins and using food additives from the approved list according to the regulations.
Hoa Binh province saw a significant rise in state budget revenue in the first two months of 2025, heard a meeting chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem.
Ha Thi Ha Chi, a 26-year-old graduate in law, has taken an unconventional path by returning to her hometown in Mai Chau district to establish the Tong Dau Cooperative, creating stable jobs for local women and bringing Thai ethnic brocade weaving to the global market.
As the Lunar New Year 2025 approached, pork prices surged, creating a profitable season for farmers in Tan Vinh commune, Luong Son district. Taking advantage of the rising demand, Can Minh Son, a farmer from Coi hamlet, sold over 30 pigs at 69,000 VND/kg, each weighing more than 100 kg. After deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND.