Specialised pineapple growing fields in Tiền Giang Province’s Tân Phước District. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Trí

TIỀN GIANG — Farmers in Tiền Giang Province’s Tân Phước District have expanded growing pineapple and improved their lives from growing the fruit.

Located in Đồng Tháp Mười (Plan of Reeds) region, the district has nearly 15,400ha of pineapple and is the province’s largest pineapple growing area.

It used to grow only cajuput and water chestnut more than 30 years ago, but farmers here have gradually restructured their agriculture production and grown other crops such as rice, purple yam, dragon fruit, lime, grapefruit, durian and pineapple.

Of those crops, pineapple is the district’s key plant.

Pineapple is suitable for growing in the district’s alum-affected soil, according to local farmers.

Bùi Hữu Thiện in Phú Mỹ Commune said he had 3ha of pineapple when he started growing the fruit nearly 15 years ago and now has 20ha with an annual output of 500 tonnes.

Pineapple does not require much tending and if farmers are busy and do not tend their pineapple fields for a period of seven to 10 days, they are still fine, he said.

“Pineapple is easy to grow, has stable buyers and has a low risk of losses,” he said.

Farmers in the district have harvested more than 7,800ha with an average yield of 20 tonnes of pineapple per hectare a year so far this year.

Trần Hoàng Phong, chairman of the district People’s Committee, said farmers have gotten bumper harvests and good selling prices this year, and therefore high incomes and stable lives.

The price of pineapple is VNĐ7,500-9,500 (31-39 US cents) a kilogramme this year, up nearly two times against last year, and with this price, farmers earn more than VNĐ100 million ($4,200) per hectare a year, he said.

Nguyễn Thanh Tùng in Thạnh Mỹ Commune has 4ha of pineapple and uses intensive growing techniques to increase yield and quality.

He also uses advanced techniques to produce off-season pineapples and has harvests year round, he said.

He has harvested about two tonnes of pineapple and sold them at a price of VNĐ9,000 a kilogramme in the last harvest and earns a profit of VNĐ20 million ($840), he said.

To promote the potential and strength of pineapple in the Đồng Tháp Mười region, the district has developed specialised pineapple growing areas and provided farmers advanced growing techniques to improve yield and quality.

With techniques of growing off-season pineapple, farmers have expanded producing the fruit year round and reduced its oversupply in the main harvest season.

The district produces more than 260,000 tonnes of pineapple a year and the sales of the fruit have become easier as the development of roads in the district in recent years has facilitated the fruit's transportation to other places.

Huỳnh Văn Bườn, head of the district Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the cultivation of pineapple has had high production efficiency in past years and most pineapple growing areas are those which have flood prevention embankments to protect them from flooding.

The district has eight co-operatives which link with farmers to grow pineapple and guarantee buyers for them.

It also has 19 sites that buy pineapple and sell them to other provinces and cities nationwide and to companies that process pineapple products for exports.

The district has produced many pineapple-related products such as candy, jam and juice.

The production of pineapple-related products has created more jobs for local people and increased the added value of pineapple. — VNS