Lai Thieu’s mangosteen season has hit hard

Although Kim Tien (An Phu Hamlet, An Son Township, Thuan An City) is over 50 years old, he still climbs mangosteen trees directly. In just a few days, Ms. Tien’s mangosteen garden will “guard the garden” and end a lush season. The proportion of unharvested mangosteen on the tree is just under 10% compared to the start of the season.

Beside us, Ms. Tien couldn’t hide her excitement because for almost two months she has been climbing and picking bamboo shoots every day to keep up with the sales. Mangosteen gains so much weight, there are even termites to tell for a few days.

“I pick them every day from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Plucked and sold in good time, many fallen fruits didn’t even bother to collect them. “Since I was a kid, I’ve never seen Lai Thieu Mangosteen as busy as this year,” Tien said excitedly.

Not far from Tien’s garden, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Luong (70 years old, Kim Tien’s mother) is responsible for selling mangosteen. Near the street, the Mangosteen Tray is full of beautiful arrangements that keep customers coming to buy. Ms. Luong said it had been a long time since her mother and daughter were “tired” with joy like this year.

“A few years ago it was very disappointing, everyone was sad. This year, of course, the weather dictates the season, the price is always available. Every day, my mother and I pick nearly 150 kg, which is not enough to sell,” Ms. Luong said.

And also in the mangosteen garden of Mr. Tran Cong Hiep (hamlet of Phu Hung, commune of An Son, city of Thuan An) the last days of harvest are beginning. For almost two months, Hiep and his wife have had to take a break from the business and drive a rented truck to concentrate on picking mangosteen. According to Mr. Hiep, his mangosteen yield this year is almost 5 tons with a garden area of ​​about 5,000 m².

“This productivity is two to three times higher than every year, we are more excited than ever. Mangosteen price this year has the highest value of nearly 100,000 VND/kg, the lowest is also 40,000 VND/kg. With this price, minus all costs, I make a profit of 200-300 million Dong. “This profit doubles, even triples every year,” said Hiep.

In An Thanh, Hung Dinh, Binh Nham and An Son communes of Thuan An city, the price of ripe mangosteen is VND 120,000/kg at the beginning of harvest, VND 70,000/kg in the middle of harvest, and VND 40,000/kg at the lowest. vs. 10,000 – 20,000 VND/kg compared to each year.

The kind of green bamboo shoots peeled for sale to make chicken salad costs up to 400,000-500,000 VND/kg. Until the end of May 2023, the price of mangosteen was only 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, which is the inevitable rule of every harvest.

There are 661 hectares of mangosteen cultivation in the city of Thuan An, which accounts for over 53.3% of the city’s orchards. According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son, vice chairman of the Thuan An City People’s Committee, this year’s mangosteen production has generally increased the lowest at 30-40% year-on-year, although there is no official data. In particular, some growers are harvesting early and selling themselves without going through dealers or selling green mangosteens for higher revenue.

An Son Agricultural Service Cooperative (An Son Township, Thuan An City) has 11 members with a total area of ​​21 hectares planted with mangosteen. About 30 tons of mangosteen were harvested this year. This is also an impressive number of cooperatives compared to many previous years.

“This year the weather is stable, mangosteens bloom at the right time of year. Our mangosteens are widely exported abroad. In addition, we also find various production bases with demand points like Vung Tau, Hanoi, Hai Phong… with prices ranging from 60,000 to 120,000 VND/kg, but still sold out,” said Mr. Tran Van. Vien, director of An Son Agricultural Service Cooperative shared.

Don’t expect the green mangosteen “trend”.

Although green mangosteen chicken salad has been a Lai Thieu specialty for many generations, green mangosteen has never been mentioned more often than this year. Many tourists travel tens of kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Duong to enjoy this specialty. The shops also took advantage of the trend and made sales impossible for a long time.

Although peeled green mangosteen is priced at VND 400,000-500,000/kg, many growers in Thuan An city are very restricted in selling it. Each gardener supplies only about 10 kg of green fruit per day and does not sell more. This is how growers protect their yields for next year and the Lai Thieu mangosteen brand.

“Since the top of the mangosteen produces a pair of leaves each year, that pair of leaves will produce new fruit next year. On the other hand, when picking the mangosteen that is not yet ripe, it is imperative to break off this pair of leaves. When the fruit is ripe, the stalk automatically falls off. Therefore, the next harvest will definitely bear less fruit, which will seriously affect the bamboo shoots,” analyzed Mr. Tran Cong Hiep in Phu Hung Hamlet, An Son Municipality.

Although the green mangosteen “trend” is rattling both demand and price, spurring demand for mangosteens in Lai Thieu, Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Xuan, vice president of Thuan An City Farmers’ Association, said caution should be exercised in its consumption of mangosteens. this trend.

“There are two sides to everything and I find that the enthusiasm for green mangosteens is temporary and not long-term. While this year’s success in green mangosteen is great, it’s not certain if the market will see demand next year or the next two to three years. Lai Thieu’s mangosteen has been known for more than a hundred years, has a brand name and is well known throughout the country. So don’t expect things to last long,” Ms. Xuan said.

Ms Pham Do Bich Quyen, deputy director of Binh Duong Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department, said people should be careful if they expect to sell green mangosteens. Although there are measures to avoid major damage to the yield of the next crop, the psychology of selling green mangosteen is also “cutting chickens for eggs,” with many consequences.