Nguyen Van Quy (middle) in An Hoa hamlet, Doan Bai commune, Hiep Hoa district, talks about grapefruit farming techniques.

Establishing, managing and developing brand

Grapefruit trees grown in Hiep Hoa district nearly two decades ago have affirmed their high economic value. The district’s total grapefruit (mostly Dien grapefruits) cultivation area covers nearly 180ha, mostly in Luong Phong, Doan Bai, Hung Son, Ngoc Son and Danh Thang communes. In 2013, the National Office of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a certificate of collective brand protection for Luong Phong grapefruits. Hiep Hoa district is striving to grow nearly 120ha of grapefruits of various kinds by 2020.

However, the products are less known by consumers. Despite having large cultivation acreage, other communes have yet to build their own trademarks. In June 2016, the provincial People’s Committee approved the project “Establishing, managing and developing Hiep Hoa grapefruit trademark in Bac Giang” initiated by the Vietnam Soils and Fertilises Research Institute (SFRI), which is carried out from May 2016-April 2018. 

Accordingly, experts collected data on land, climate and surveyed the scale and farming process, harvest, preservation and domestic market in 250 households. They also analyzed criteria for contents of water, sugar, acid and vitamin C in the fruit.

Based on the survey results, 30 households in five communes of Luong Phong, Doan Bai, Danh Thang, Hung Son and Ngoc Son have been eligible for certification. Engineer Le Thi Huong, head of the project, said during the implementation, the SFRI has actively coordinated with the provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Hiep Hoa district People’s Committee, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Office of Intellectual Property to ensure that the project brings positive results.

Engineer Le Thi Huong from SFRI inspects a grapefruit garden of La Van Thiet in Danh Thuong 3 hamlet, Danh Thang commune, Hiep Hoa district.

Improving product value

According to experts, grapefruit trees adapt to climate and soil conditions in many communes of Hiep Hoa district, yielding round and orange-yellow fruits with smooth peel weighing 0.8-1kg each. They are succulent and favored by consumers.

The family of Nguyen Van Quy in An Hoa hamlet, Doan Bai commune, grows nearly 9 “sao” of grapefruits (each sao equivalent to 360 sq.m) with 150 17-year-old trees. Quy said each “sao” (30-35 trees) produces a profit of nearly 25 million VND (1,100 USD), higher than that from rice farming.

However, due to the mass presence of grapefruits in the market, it is hard for consumers to identify Hiep Hoa-grown grapefruits so that their value is still below expectation. “We are very happy to know that Hiep Hoa grapefruits will receive certification so that farmers will grow better quality products with higher value”.

Luong Vu Thang, deputy head of the Science Management Division under the provincial Department of Science and Technology, said the department regularly works with authorities to inspect the project’s progress. Later this month, the Hiep Hoa district People’s Committee will hold a ceremony to announce the Hiep Hoa grapefruit trademark. The certification will help improve prestige and popularity of the fruits when they are brought out to the market.

Ngo Tien Dung, Vice Chairman of the Hiep Hoa district People’s Committee, said after receiving the certificate, the committee will guide local farmers how to effectively tap the trademark, open new cooperatives to expand cultivation areas, offer training on grapefruit farming techniques and trace their origins while developing the market and promoting business connectivity to improve the product’s value.

Cong Doanh