Many households have bravely given up sugarcane to grow pineapple and are increasingly seeing its effectiveness because this new plant variety is bringing income many times higher than the previous sugarcane.
Hau Giang has the largest raw sugarcane area in the Mekong Delta, but in recent years, the local sugarcane growers often face difficulties when the sugarcane is flooded, there is no output, raw cane is purchased at a low price.
Faced with this situation, many households here have researched and searched for new plant varieties that are suitable for local soil and have high economic value to replace sugarcane. In the low-lying and alum land of Phung Hiep district, many households have bravely given up sugarcane to grow MD2 pineapple (also known as American pineapple). Currently, people here are very excited because this new plant variety has brought income many times higher than the previous sugarcane.
Farmers in Phuong Binh commune, Phung Hiep district have changed from a lot of inefficient sugarcane land to MD2 pineapples.
Living in low-lying and alum land, for many generations, Mr. Tran Thanh Ven’s family in Phuong Thanh hamlet, Phuong Binh commune has only been attached to sugarcane. However, later on, the price of sugarcane became more and more volatile, causing his family to fall into poverty at each harvest. Mr. Ven’s family’s economy has only really developed since he abandoned sugarcane to attached to MD2 pineapple.
“After deducting costs, the income from growing sugarcane is about 10-20 million in some years, it only breaks even or even loses capital in some years. Since the family switched to growing pineapple trees with higher income, the profit is about 60-70 million/hectare/year. If combined with selling more seedlings, the income will also reach over 100 million VND/hectare/year”, Mr. Ven shared.
The MD2 is a strong, drought tolerant pineapple. Due to its thin skin, lots of juice, crispy flesh, bright yellow color, little fiber, delicious taste, this pineapple is very suitable for both fresh eating and processing.
What makes people growing pineapple in Phung Hiep excited is that MD2 pineapple is not only suitable for low-lying and alum areas here, which it gives high productivity, but when growing this plant, farmers are also provided with seedlings, fertilizers, plant protection drugs as well as technical instructions and signed contracts to consume all fruit products when harvested at a stable price by Westfood Exporting and Processing Joint Stock Company (WestFood). Besides, the Company also buy more shoots of pineapple seedlings.
“Many people in the hamlet find pineapple cultivation effective, so they invest together to redirect. The advantage is that growers receive technical support from the Company and support to sell seedlings by deferred payment. When the fruits are harvested, the Company consumes all. Seedling shoots are also purchased for 2,000 VND/one,” said Mr. Lam Van Lam in Phuong Thanh hamlet, Phuong Binh commune.
Due to its high economic efficiency, over the past 4 years, people in Phuong Binh commune, Phung Hiep district have changed from a lot of inefficient sugarcane land to grow MD2 pineapple. From the initial 4 hectares of experimental planting, the area of MD2 pineapple in this locality has grown to more than 120 hectares with more than 40 participants.
With a fruit yield of 70-90 tons/hectare and sold at the price of 5,700 VND/kg, along with the money from the sale of seedling shoots, after deducting all expenses such as seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural mulch, soil preparation, labor, MD2 pineapple growers here also earn profits from more than 160 million VND to more than 250 million VND/hectare, many times higher than sugarcane cultivation.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, Chairwoman of the Board of Management – General Director of Westfood Exporting and Processing Joint Stock Company (WestFood), currently, the Company has decided to choose Phung Hiep as a strategic MD2 raw pineapple area to supplies the fruits to the Company’s processing plant, because the land is suitable for this plant. Therefore, in the coming time, in addition to expanding the area of pineapple cultivation, the Company also builds an agricultural product processing factory in Hau Giang.
“Farmers are satisfied with the effectiveness of planting MD2 pineapple. The Company commits to consume products according to the price signed with farmers, so they feel secure in growing pineapple with a stable income. WestFood’s plan from now to 2025 will develop 2,000 hectares of pineapples planted in Phung Hiep. At the same time, the Company has also prepared 7 hectares of land area to build a new processing factory with a capacity of four times that of the current factory in Can Tho,” said Ms. Nguyet.
Thanks to their hard work and study, farmers in Phuong Binh commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province have found MD2 pineapples suitable for low-lying and alum land to replace precarious sugarcane. In the near future, hundreds of households here will have a high income and a good life when the material area for growing this new plant expands to thousands of hectares. Moreover, if an agricultural product processing factory with a capacity of about 50,000 tons/year is built and put into operation, it will create jobs for more than 1,200 local workers.
