Farmers harvest Soi Hà pomelos in Xuân Vân Commune, Yên Sơn District, Tuyên Quang Province.They are the signature fruits of the area and have been exported to the United Kingdom. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

TUYÊN QUANG — The Soi Hà pomelo is a special variety of sweet pomelo grown in the Soi Hà town in Xuân Vân Commune, Yên Sơn District, Tuyên Quang Province.

Due to the favourable soil conditions, this variety produces large, juicy fruits with a refreshing taste and with high nutritional qualities, making it a well-known local specialty.

The Soi Hà pomelo harvest season is earlier than other varieties, from September to November. Traders and customers often come straight through local gardens in Xuân Vân Commune to taste and buy the fruits.

In 2017, it was ranked in the top ten famous brands and trademarks by the Vietnam Standard and Consumers Association. In 2021, it received a geographical indication registration certificate from the Intellectual Property Office.

Throughout the years, local farmers have constantly tried to improve the pomelo’s quality and in October, it met the standards to be exported to the United Kingdom.

Yên Sơn District has about 4,000 hectares dedicated to growing pomelos, which are concentrated mostly in the communes of Xuân Vân, Phúc Ninh, Lực Hành and Yên Sơn town.

About 900 hectares are located in Xuân Vân Commune. At the end of May, the R.Y.B Joint Stock Company had a working session with the commune’s People's Committee, placing an order for 10,000 to 15,000 high-quality, standard-compliant pomelos through a contract with the Xuân Vân Forestry and Agricultural Cooperative.

Previously, the cooperative has only sold the pomelos domestically through its agents and stores in Tuyên Quang, Phú Thọ, Hưng Yên, Bắc Giang provinces and Hà Nội.

Thirteen households in the commune agreed to participate in the deal with R.Y.B.

On the afternoon of October 25, at Xuân Vân Commune, representatives from the companies, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tuyên Quang Province and the People's Committee of Yên Sơn District joined a special export ceremony for Soi Hà pomelos to the UK.

Soi Hà pomelos are on display with other signature agricultural products of Tuyên Quang Province in Xuân Vân Commune on October 25, before they are exported to the UK. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

Nearly 8,000 fruits were chosen after a careful selection process. Each pomelo had to have a Brix sugar level of at least 11.5, be juicy, have a uniform yellow colour and the skin clear without blemishes or any insect damage.

The pomelos should weigh between 1-1.2 kilograms per fruit. Pesticide residues were checked two weeks before harvesting to make sure they met European residue standards.

Đỗ Khắc Thỏa's family is one of the households whose pomelos were chosen. The fruits were grown in his two-hectare garden in accordance with the VietGAP standards, which ensured that they were clean and safe for consumption. After harvesting, they were labelled with traceability codes.

Before being exported to the UK, Thỏa’s pomelos were already selling well in the domestic market. With one hectare normally yielding about 35 tonnes and after deducting expenses, his family earned over VNĐ200 million ($7,900) per hectare per season.

Previously, when his family grew sugarcane, the returns were not so good so switching to pomelos has provided much greater economic prosperity, according to Thỏa.

Regarding the batch exported to the UK, he said: "To meet the standards and quality demanded by the export market, from the start of the season, my family has followed the VietGAP care process for the pomelo trees.

“We also collaborated with the Sub-Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tuyên Quang Province) to monitor the entire process from fertilising, pruning branches, to ensure the best quality, safe and export-standard pomelos."

Đỗ Khắc Khoát's family is another household selected to export pomelos to the UK. For many years, their pomelo garden has brought in an average annual income of about VNĐ300 million ($11,800) from domestic sales.

"I’m so excited that our commune’s pomelos are now being exported to Europe," Khoát said. "I hope that the export will not only elevate the brand of Tuyên Quang's agricultural products but also help locals like me increase our incomes."

Director of Xuân Vân Forestry and Agricultural Cooperative Triệu Văn Tuyển, said: “This is a milestone in the development of our cooperative and agricultural products in our commune.

“We will continue working with the relevant authorities of the province and district to help farmers understand the right techniques to grow and care for pomelos, so we can meet the export standards for 2025. We specifically will also expand our Soi Hà pomelo growing areas.”

Vice chair of Yên Sơn District People's Committee, Lê Quang Toàn, said: "This is the first step and also a significant challenge for the district leaders and departments to maintain the high quality of the pomelos so we can further increase the income of the people and promote the district's economic development."

By the end of November, most of the Soi Hà pomelos in Xuân Vân Commune had been harvested. This year’s quantity is lower than last year due to the effects of Typhoon Yagi.

However, the average price for pomelos sold at gardens is higher than last year, at VNĐ20,000-23,000 (around 90 cents) each for the finest fruits. Farmers and cooperatives have also leveraged e-commerce platforms to promote the pomelos and boost sales. — VNS