EU-qualified passion fruits: Bumper crop, good prices

Despite the difficulties caused by the Covid-19, passion fruit growers in Gia Lai still get great joy thanks to bumper crop and good prices.

High-quality passion fruits for export are priced up to above VND40,000 per kilogram.

Stable market, higher prices

Since the beginning of this year, while many agricultural products have face difficulties in market, plunge prices, farmers growing passion fruits in the Central Highlands have bumper crop and good prices. Growers are excited because passion fruits bring them a good income.

"We have harvested nearly 30 tons of passion fruits after nearly one month of harvest. Because our fruits have good appearance and are qualified for export to Europe they are paid up to over VND40,000 per kilogram. Even ugly fruits are sold for VND7,000-VND8,000  per kilogram. With 7 saos of passion fruits, we will have a profit of above VND 200 million after deducting all costs, Sinh said joyfully.

For member of passion fruit growing linking group  in Village 1 (Nam Yang commune, Dak Doa district, Gia Lai), they have a bumper crop. If in the past years, they used to see good harvest but low prices, this year, they have both bumper crop and good prices. Accordingly, farming households in the linkage group are happy for having a good crop.

Tran Ngoc Chau, leader of linking group in Village 1, Hai Yang Commune, said: In previous years, prices of passion fruits just ranged between VND3,000  and VND4,000 per kilogram. On the contrary, the prices of ugly passion fruits reached VND8,000-VND9,000 per kilogram, even higher.

With passion fruit batches meeting the standards for exports to Europe, the prices skyrocketed to VND40,000 per kilogram or higher. Also according to Chau, around 500 tons of ugly passion fruits produced by members in the linking group are purchased Dong Giao Export Joint Stock Company , Gia Lai Branch (DOVECO Gia Lai) in this crop under the signed contract. The rest are put up for sale in the market at high prices.

There are now around 3,200 hectares of passion fruits in peak harvest season of which the harvested area is roughly 2,000 hectares. This year, Gia Lai has a good passion fruit crop with average yield of nearly 40 tons per hectare and the output is estimated at over 7,200 tons. Gia Lai's passion fruit product is not only stably consumed by China and European countries but also in the domestic market.

Enjoy “fruit” thanks to linkage in productio.

There are roughly 400 hectares of passion fruit plants in Dak Doa district (Gia Lai) cultivated by both individual households and member of groups linking with DOVECO Gia Lai. This is absolutely convenient raw material area of passion fruits thanks to good weather and soil conditions and its proximity of DOVECO Gia Lai's processing plants.

Passion fruit orchards here have got full investment of DOVECO Gia Lai from the supply of DG1 passion fruit seed produced by the company to technical consulting. Last but not least, the company has signed contract to ensure the output market for farmers.

This year, Dak Doa has a good passion fruit crop. The average yield is around 40 tons per hectare. From the beginning of the year up to now, the prices of passion fruit have continuously increased much higher than prior years. Accordingly, passion fruit growers here have stable incomes, even better over the previous years.

“We encourage farmers to plant passion fruits on the areas of dead pepper trees which are unable to recover. With coffee plantations which are in the replanting stage of the first two years, farmers can intercrop with passion fruits to create shades, taking advantage of land, saving costs on fertilizers, saving water and increasing incomes for their families,” head of Dak Doak Office of Agriculture and Rural Development  Nguyen Kim Anh recommended.

Also according to Nguyen Kim Anh, thanks to the linkages in the establishment of raw material areas, production and consumption of the products between farming groups, cooperatives and farming households, passion fruits are cultivated and consumed with many advantages in the area.

Especially, with the investment, supply of good seeds, strict assurance of caring techniques and commitment to purchasing from DOVECO Gia Lai, passion fruit growers feel assured.

Dinh Gia Nghia, Director of DOVECO Gia Lai said: Passion fruit orchards that the company signed contract for investment and purchase have high yields this year, averaging 40 tons per hectare, even 50 tons per hectares in some orchards.

In two recent months, the company has bought passion fruits for farmers at high prices. Specifically, for ugly passion fruits, the price is VND11,000 per kilogram and the fresh fruits qualified for export to Europe, the company pays farmers from VND57,000-VND60,000 per kilogram.

“Despite the complex situation of Covid-19, the company has paid higher prices for the fruits compared to the prices in the market in order to help farmer overcome difficulties during the pandemic as well as showing their sharing and close relationship between the company and growers,” shared Dinh Gia Nghia.

Also according to Nghia, the company currently buys around 100-150 tons of passion fruits per day from local farmers. Although the company must comply with the social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, facing a reduction of labor workforce in every working shift, it has tried its best to buy the fruits from local farmers, avoiding the accumulation of fresh fruits or price squeezing when the harvest comes.

Dinh Gia Nghia, Director of DOVECO Gia Lai said: Currently, passion fruits are harvested stably in Gia Lai. However, the provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong are facing difficulties in harvesting because the social distancing measures under the Government’s Directives No.15 and No.16 have been implemented in the key passion fruit growing areas where the company invested, right at the time of harvest.