Taiwan guava tree in Cam Ninh commune

Mr. Duong Van Tho, Director of Cam Ninh Guava Production Cooperative, said that Taiwanese pear guavas are grown in accordance with the soil here, and the quality of the sweet, aromatic guava has created the guava brand in Cam Ninh commune. Cam Ninh is a purely agricultural commune, rice is the main crop. Guava trees are considered a strong tree of Cam Ninh commune as they provide many times more income than rice cultivation.

Taiwanese guava pear trees began to "fall in love" with the land of Cam Ninh commune in 2004 when Mr. Duong Van Bang pioneered planting 0.8 hectares on an ineffective rice growing area. With the spirit of daring to think and daring to do, after 3 to 5 years of digging beds to plant trees and fertilizing, Mr. Bang's guava garden has produced sweet fruits. Seeing the economic efficiency from Mr. Bang's guava garden, Mr. Tho mobilized people in the village to respond and replicate production to create a Taiwanese guava pear growing area. By 2013, after the consolidation of plots to exchange fields, people continued to convert and expand the area to over 8 hectares as at present. According to the district's assessment, each hectare of guava and pear yields an income of 350 to 400 million VND/year, with a profit of about 300 million VND/year.

According to the farmers here, guava growers meticulously cut branches and trim leaves so that the tree is not too tall and develops a wide canopy, with enough sunlight for photosynthesis. When the guava fruit is the size of a small bowl, people choose to prune the damaged or damaged fruit and put a protective bag inside each fruit. This work is very laborious and meticulous, but in return, the guava avoids sunburn, maintains its beautiful color, avoids insects, and especially retains water in the guava fruit. After harvest, guava kept in protective wrap can last for 1 week and still remain fresh; The shipping was also scratch-free.

The clay loam soil in Cam Ninh commune is ineffective for growing rice, but with the Taiwanese guava pear tree, the soil here is considered a godsend for growing guava by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Therefore, without using much fertilizer, guavas in Cam Ninh are still crunchy and rich in sweetness. Taiwanese pear guava has the characteristics of long fruit, bright color, slightly rough skin, and lots of pulp. The main guava season is summer, but due to the weather this season has a lot of rain, guava trees are in a period of strong growth, so the sweetness of the fruit is reduced. Furthermore, due to the main season, guava output in other localities is high. Therefore, in the main guava season, farmers in Cam Ninh commune only leave about 30% of the beans for harvesting. A characteristic of the Taiwanese guava variety is that it bears fruit all year round, so people have chosen off-season guava as the main autumn crop. Starting from the end of the 7th lunar month, the pods are kept, about 80% of the pods are cared for for harvest. Each guava generation takes about 3 months from flowering to harvest. The fruit batches overlap each other until the second lunar month of the following year, then stop harvesting to allow the tree to grow. From planting to fruit bearing, it only takes 6 months. After a year, guava will be harvested. A guava tree's life cycle is about 15 years. To maintain the quality of guava fruit, members of the cooperative agree not to harvest guavas when they are not ripe enough.

Guava pears in Cam Ninh are famous for their delicious taste, so you don't have to worry about consumption. Currently, the cooperative's product output does not meet demand. Guava products are ordered from gardens and cooperatives are ordered for export, with stable prices. To build and develop the brand, in 2022, Cam Ninh Guava Production Cooperative was established. Guava products of Cam Ninh Guava Cooperative are recognized to meet VietGAP standards; be granted a certificate of establishment meeting food safety conditions; The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has been granted a planting area code by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Last October, An Thi district evaluated and classified OCOP products for guava products of Cam Ninh Guava Production Cooperative to submit to the province for appraisal. “We comply with planting and care techniques according to the VietGAP process, and receive support from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and District Office of Agriculture and Rural Development in care techniques and training, so farmers are very excited. Start practicing in production", Mr. Duong Van Tho shared. To expand the area, from the beginning of 2023, the Cooperative will buy 5,000 guava seedlings for member households. Many households make their own cuttings of seedlings.

In April 2023, Cam Ninh Guava Production Cooperative Cell was established with 5 party members. The establishment of a cell aims to directly lead party members and workers to strictly comply with the Party's policies and guidelines, the State's policies and laws, and local regulations, effectively carrying out production tasks. cooperative production and business, contributing to promoting local economic development.