Tu Ky finds ways to export bananas

Riverside fertile soil is very convenient for Tu Ky to develop banana growing areas

Large area

Large-scale banana growing zones have appeared on Luoc and Thai Binh riverbanks in many communes of Tu Ky district. Fertile soil helps bananas grow smoothly.

In Ha Thanh commune, people plant bananas in large fields, even on the banks of ruoi (ragworm) and fish raising areas.

Nguyen Trong Tai, Head of the Agricultural Service Cooperative of Ha Thanh commune, said more than 10 years ago, farmers in the commune renovated abandoned riverside grounds to grow bananas.

After that, banana growing was expanded to many hamlets in the commune. To date, Ha Thanh has had about 200 ha of bananas, concentrated in Huu Chung and Tri Le hamlets.

According to statistics of the district Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are about 700 ha of bananas in 10 communes of the district, mostly in such communes as Ha Thanh, An Thanh, Dai Son, Chi Minh, Phuong Ky, Tien Dong, and Nguyen Giap.

The district has 137 ha of riverside bananas in An Thanh commune given organic certificates and 10 ha in Ha Thanh commune meeting export standards.

From some spontaneous growers, Tu Ky farmers have so far grown bananas professionally on large scales in many places. The plant does not require much effort in cultivation but can be harvested in the first year, leading to an increasingly large area of bananas there.

Export targeted

Apart from domestic consumption, in recent years, Tu Ky bananas have been unofficially sold to China for low prices by private traders.

Well aware of its potential and strengths, recently, specialized agencies of Tu Ky district have oriented farmers to cultivate the plant in organic, VietGAP, and GlobalGAP directions for smoother sale and satisfaction of export standards.

“The commune has 10 ha of bananas certified to be eligible for export in May 2022,” added Nguyen Trong Tai.

“To find the way out for products, my cooperative worked with a representative of the provincial Young Business Association on October 23 to sign a memorandum of understanding on supporting the sale of local bananas.

“If the cooperation is successful, Ha Thanh bananas will be exported to Bangladesh and some other major markets.

“His business can purchase about 28 tons of bananas/day for preliminary processing and export. This is a great opportunity for banana growing areas in Ha Thanh in particular and Tu Ky in general to change.”

Farmers in banana growing areas in Tu Ky district really hope local authorities will invest and create favorable conditions to build or attract businesses to build banana processing facilities for export right in raw material areas.

Along with that, appropriate authorities of the province should help farmers find export directions for this fruit.

BAO ANH