KHÁNH HOÀ – Khánh Hoà Province is expanding the cultivation of various high-value fruits to reduce farmers' dependence on a single crop and enhance the competitiveness of their agricultural products.

The south central province, which is the country’s largest grape producer, is strengthening the cultivation of new grape varieties.

New grape varieties such as NH04-102 (Black Finger grape), NH01-152 (Pink Finger grape), NH01-205 (Mẫu đơn grape), NH01-26 (Candy grape), NH04-195 (Hạ đen grape), and NH01-16 (a new red grape) offer high yields and excellent quality.

High-tech grape cultivation models offer an income of VNĐ500–600 million (US$19,300 - 23,100) per hectare per harvest, equivalent to VNĐ1–1.2 billion ($38,600 – 46,200) per hectare per year.

Grape farmers cultivate various grape varieties in their orchards to enhance income.

Tống Minh Hoàng in Phước Thuận Commune, grows eight grape varieties accordin to Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards in his 1ha orchard.

The varieties include Black Finger, Mẫu đơn and Hạ đen. They have high quality and yield.

Hạ đen grape, for instance, has a yield of 1.5-2 tonnes per 1,000 square metres per harvest, with two harvests a year.

This grape variety has an attractive dark colour, a sweet, crisp and refreshing taste, and is seedless, making them highly popular with consumers and tourists. Its selling price ranges from VNĐ170,000-220,000 ($6.5-8.5) per kilogramme.

Khánh Hoà is also diversifying its fruit crops to suit the specific conditions of each area.

In Lâm Sơn Commune, which is located at the foot of the scenic Ngoạn Mục Pass with its cool climate and fertile soil, a specialised fruit-growing zone of around 1,400ha has been established.

This area produces durians, rambutans, soursops, coconuts, grapefruits, bananas, jackfruits and mangoes, while also promoting eco-tourism.

Many orchard owners in the province are now improving the value of their produce by combining fruit farming with eco-tourism services.

The province has about 6,000ha of fruits, mainly in the former districts of Ninh Phước, Ninh Sơn, Ninh Hải, Thuận Nam and Thuận Bắc of Ninh Thuận Province.

Grapes and jujubes each account for more than 1,000 ha, bananas for 1,433ha, mangoes for 722ha, grapefruit for 433ha, and durians for 142ha, along with many other fruit varieties.

The province plans to convert around 1,300ha of crops this year as part of efforts to restructure the agricultural sector in response to climate change.

The restructuring plan includes converting 500ha of low-efficiency rice fields to more drought-tolerant, high-value crops such as grapes, jujubes, durians, and honeydew melons.

As the country’s driest province, Khánh Hoà is promoting the use of advanced farming techniques, such as intercropping fruit trees with leguminous plants to retain moisture and improve soil quality.

It is also increasing the use of polygreen houses and net coverings to prevent pests and diseases, and this helps increase both yield and product quality.

It aims to achieve a production value of VNĐ155 million ($6,000) per hectare a year on irrigated land.

Trịnh Minh Hoàng, vice chairman of the former Ninh Thuận Provincial People's Committee, said that to enhance the effectiveness of crop restructuring, especially for fruit trees, the province has asked the agriculture sector to work closely with research institutes to increase the transfer of cultivation and plant protection techniques for farmers.

The province will organise field demonstrations and production workshops for farmers, and create favourable conditions to attract businesses and individual producers to invest in high-tech agriculture, following VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards to meet the increasing requirements of the market, he said.

It will establish fruit-growing zones that meet export standards and grant production codes for them.

It also aims to develop value chains that link production and consumption, connecting households, farms and co-operatives with businesses and supermarket systems.

It is focusing on expanding agricultural eco-tourism, with notable destinations such as grape and jujube farms, Thái An grape village and Lâm Sơn eco-fruit orchard.

It is also prioritising the development of the fruit processing industry, especially value-added products made from grapes and jujubes.

It is making efforts to build and promote branding for key fruits through trade promotion activities and fairs, and to increase the use of digital technologies to market products. – VNS