In recent years, the farmers in Dac So Commune have shifted from growing sweet orange trees to Phat thu (Buddha hand citron trees) which help them earn a lot of money when Tet comes.
Getting rich from growing Phat thu - the amazing tree
Weeks ahead of Tet (the lunar New Year), we visited Dac So Commune in Hoai Duc District, Hanoi which is known nationwide for growing and developing Buddha hand citron trees. This amazing tree has high economic value.
Taking us to the groves of Buddha hand citron trees laden with fruit during the harvest season, Ta Van Phuc, Chairman of Dac So Commune’s Phat thu Production and Trade Association said: “The commune has nearly 500 households growing Buddha hand citron trees in a total area of 220ha, including 150ha of the trees in harvest. Each household owns a garden of at least 360m2 and even 18,000m2 and earn from 300 million to 1 billion dong for the crop near Tet”.
Nguyen Van Thanh grows Phat thu seedlings in his garden in Dac So.
Phat thu seedlings are delivered to needed gardeners.
The garden of Phat thu seedlings of Nguyen Van Hung. Photo: Trinh Van Bo/VNP
Phat thu is being grown at a large scale in Dac So.
Ta Van Thinh tends Phat thu trees laden with fruit in his grove. Photo: Trinh Van Bo/VNP
Phat thu trees are carefully tended to produce fruits of nice shape. |
«
The fruit with a closed hand configuration and a delightful aroma is one of the most valued for offerings because in this state it resembles the Buddhist hand gesture for prayer.
»
|
We also visited the grove of Buddha hand citron trees owned by the family of Ta Van Thinh in Trung Ky Village and were very surprised at the large scale of this farm. Thinh’s family started growing this variety of tree in over 720m2 in 2010. Realising this tree’s economic value, his family decided to rent more land in Yen So Commune in Quoc Oai, Hanoi to expand the cultivation area. Now, his family owns a 9,000m2 grove which helps him earn more than 900 million dong. After expenses, his family gets a profit of more than 500 million dong. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Thinh’s wife joyfully shared with us: “It is this variety of tree that helps my family have such a spacious house and pay for my children’s school”.
This year the family of Dung in Son Ha Village has also a bumper crop. Her grove covers 10,800m2 of trees loaded with fruit, and each tree produces from 70-90 fruit. If each fruit is sold for 100,000 dong, her family can earn billions of dong.
Dung acknowledged that this tree is easy to grow and produces all year round. The fruit with a closed hand configuration and a delightful aroma is one of the most valued for offerings because in this state it resembles the Buddhist hand gesture for prayer.
In Vietnam, the fruit is highly prized because it is believed to bring long life, happiness and good fortune to a home. It is also prescribed as a tonic as part of traditional medicine so they are much sought after by customers.
Building the brand name for Dac So Phat thu
Dac So Commune People’s Committee established the commune’s Phat thu Trade and Production Association on November 3 in 2014 with the aim of providing the growers with scientific and technical assistance and seedlings and build a brand name for this special fruit. Furthermore, Hanoi City People’s Committee also made a decision to allow the locals in Dac So to use the name of “Dac So” enclosed with a map to register and protect the brand name of this fruit.
Phat thu trees are in bloom.
The joy of a Phat thu grower when having a bumper crop. Photo: Trinh Van Bo/VNP
Harvesting Phat thu fruit in a grove in Dac So. Photo: Trinh Van Bo/VNP
Collecting Phat thu fruit to sell to the market.
Dac So’s Phat thu fruit is sold to the domestic and foreign market. Photo: Trinh Van Bo/VNP
Selecting Phat thu fruit in Dac So. |
“A life without a friend is a life without sun, so the commune’s association provides a chance for us to exchange experience on farming and trading. To help the growers , the association’s management board regularly visits every grove in the commune to provide the skills of tending the trees and protecting the fruit after harvest,” said Thuy.
The establishment of the association marked an important milestone of promoting the trade mark of this fruit to the market. At the Hanoi Agricultural Product and Craft Product Trade Fair recently held in Hanoi the stall selling Phat thu of Dac So Commune impressed visitors. Ta Van Phuc, a Phat thu grower in Dac So, said that they signed many contracts on supplying this “high-end fruit” for many companies and supermarkets for Tet.
To further promote this fruit, the locals have continually expanded the cultivation area by renting land from the neightbouring communes of Phuong Cach and Sai Son in Quoc Oai. Thanks to this tree, the living standards of the locals have much improved and many of them become wealthy.
Story:Quynh Anh
Photos: Trinh Van Bo & Tat Son