In 2021, Mr. Vu Van Minh’s family (Gia Lam Township, Lam Ha District, Lam Dong) realized that the currant (aka raspberry) cultivation model brings high economic efficiency and converted 1 ha. Plants are less efficient by growing this type of tree.
Mr. Minh’s family has improved the land, built a high-tech greenhouse and imported varieties of black, pink and red raspberries from Israel for planting. With a total investment of more than VND 3 billion, the raspberry tree has achieved positive results so far. Due to the suitable climatic and soil conditions, the tree grows quickly and has a high degree of uniformity.
Every month, 1 ha of raspberries harvests 600-700 kg of ripe fruit for Mr. Vu Van Minh’s family. Picture: Minh Hau.
To ensure product quality, Mr. Minh’s family currently organizes raspberry production according to the VietGAP process and organic orientation. Accordingly, this farmer focuses on using physical methods to kill insects and pests. At the same time, use organic products to control pests and diseases. When it comes to fertilizers, Mr. Minh’s family also focuses on the use of microbial and organic fertilizers.
On the production techniques, Mr. Minh shared: Locally grown raspberries have few pests and diseases at the beginning of the rainy season, and prevention is also easy. As for the speed of development, it is possible to harvest ripe fruits after planting the seedlings for about 5-6 months.
“With 1 ha of raspberries, the family now harvests 600-700 kg of ripe fruit every month and sells them at a price of VND 150,000-250,000/kg. After deducting expenses, the profit is about VND 70 million,” Mr. Vu Van Minh confessed.
Mr. Vu Van Minh’s family grows red, black and pink raspberries. Picture: Minh Hau.
At present, Mr. Minh’s family has also established GV Vietnam Joint Stock Company, which specializes in manufacturing products made from raspberries for delivery to the market. Accordingly, in addition to developing fresh raspberry products, the company has invested in a system of factories, machinery and equipment to process currants into products such as tea, juice and alcohol.
Regarding the production process of raspberry juice and wine, Mr. Minh said: After harvesting, ripe fruits are transferred to the pre-processing stage for selection, washed, and then transferred to the processing area. On average, 1 kg of raspberries yields 0.8 liters of juice. The product of raspberry juice and wine is sold by Mr. Minh’s family for 300,000-380,000 VND/liter in the market.
Raspberries are suited to the climate and soil conditions in Lam Ha and Lam Dong districts and therefore thrive well. Picture: Minh Hau.
Besides juice and wine, Mr. Minh’s family also organizes the selection and production of raspberry tea. In the case of tea products, the raw materials are leaves, twigs and fruit stalks. Tea production is carefully managed by Mr. Minh’s family, producing about 100 kg of tea per month.
According to the gardener, raspberry tea has a sweet taste and is a very good herb for the digestive, nervous and cardiovascular systems. Currently, Mr. Minh’s family’s raspberry tea is sold at VND 500,000 to VND 1.5 million/kg.
The product, raspberry juice, is sold by Mr. Vu Van Minh’s family at VND 300,000/liter in the market. Picture: Minh Hau.
“Currently, the family has set up a website to promote and sell products. “Social networking sites such as Facebook, Tiktok and e-commerce platforms are also being developed by the family to support sales,” said Mr. Vu Van Minh, adding that all product lines are now available. The family is interested and is used by customers in many places across the country.
The garden owner said currants bring greater profitability than many other local crops. In particular, processed products have a high value and the opportunity to develop and compete in the market. Based on the initial results, Mr. Minh’s family is expected to further expand the scale of production and processing in the near future.
Mr. Han Quynh Chau, an official at Lam Dong Agricultural Extension Center, said that the Minh family’s model of raspberry production and diversification of raspberry products is very effective and opens up opportunities for getting rich. However, Mr Chau also recommended that it is a new crop with high economic efficiency, but growers need to be careful. Before starting to build models, it is necessary to grasp market needs, develop markets or link production to avoid risk.