Come visit and enjoy Long An specialties

Many famous specialties

Dragon fruit is a famous specialties of Long An province. This fruit is grown in large quantities in Chau Thanh district, with high nutritional and economic value. There was a time when Chau Thanh dragon fruit was crowned “queen” and when mentioning dragon fruit, people immediately thought of Chau Thanh district, Long An province. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the whole province currently has more than 7,811 hectares of dragon fruit, of which the fruit-bearing area is about 6,860 hectares.

Previously, dragon fruit usually ripened in the summer, from early May to late October. However, currently, dragon fruit in Chau Thanh district is harvested year-round because farmers use lamps to make dragon fruit bear fruit off-season. This is one of the solutions that the provincial Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to implement to produce dragon fruit in different seasons, avoiding the situation of large quantities being congested during the peak harvest season, leading to the situation of "good harvest, low price”.

Mr. Truong Dinh Quyen (Duong Xuan Hoi commune, Chau Thanh district) said: “I have been growing dragon fruit for more than 10 years. I currently have 2 gardens, 1 garden is bearing fruit and 1 garden is preparing to be lit. This year, the price of dragon fruit is quite stable compared to the previous years. Therefore, I am also bolder in investing in the dragon fruit garden”.

Farmers taking care of dragon fruit

Dragon fruit is a fruit with high nutritional value, containing vitamin C, carotene, calcium, some B vitamins, some other nutrients and antioxidants. Chau Thanh dragon fruit currently has 2 types: red-fleshed and white-fleshed dragon fruits. In addition to being used as a fresh fruit, dragon fruit is also processed into many other foods such as dried dragon fruit, dragon fruit wine, etc.

Besides dragon fruit, lime is also one of the main crops of the province. Currently, Long An is the locality with the largest lime growing area in the Mekong Delta with more than 11,888 hectares. Of which, more than 10,888 hectares of limes are bearing fruit. Ben Luc district accounts for more than half of the province's lime area with two main varieties: seedless lime and purple-flowered lime.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ben Luc district, after determining that lime trees are suitable for local soil conditions, Ben Luc district has promoted the development of lime growing areas. Accordingly, the district regularly organizes training, guides cultivation techniques, and transfers scientific and technical advances to farmers. Thanks to that, many households have switched from growing sugarcane to growing lime, especially seedless lime, bringing high economic efficiency.

Thanh Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative (Ben Luc district) was established in 2014 and is one of the typical units in seedless lime production. The Cooperative currently has 15 members, with a growing area of ​​30 hectares.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director of Thanh Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative - Dang Van Phai said: "Previously, farmers mainly grew pineapple and sugarcane but the selling price was unstable. When lime trees were discovered to be suitable for the soil, people began to switch to this type of tree. Thanks to stable output and good prices, people's lives have improved. Limes growing areas that meet GlobalGAP standards are exported to Europe, while the remaining output serves the domestic and other markets."

In 2014, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bo - a member of Thanh Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative, decided to convert all 6 hectares of sugarcane and pineapple to grow seedless lime. According to Mr. Bo, seedless lime can be harvested after 1.5 years of planting and if using organic fertilizers, the tree's lifespan can last from 6-8 years. This type of lime tree can bear fruit all year round and from the second year, the yield begins to increase.

"My lime garden is grown according to GlobalGAP standards, so I signed a contract with the purchasing company. The selling price is stable at 15,000-20,000 VND/kg, about 5,000 VND/kg higher than the market price. After deducting costs, I have a profit of 100-200 million VND/hectare/year, depending on the age of the tree and the price" - Mr. Bo shared.

Long An has the largest lime growing area in the Mekong Delta with more than 11,888 hectares

According to Mr. Bo, applying the right dose of pesticides, fertilizing with organic fertilizers and planting with the right techniques helps his lime gardens to be less susceptible to pests and diseases such as spider mites, pink spots or scabs. "Using organic fertilizers not only helps plants grow well, with less pesticide residues, but also improves soil fertility," Mr. Bo emphasized.

Ben Luc seedless limes are famous for their firm fruit, thick segments, dark green, shiny, even-colored skin, and surface containing many essential oil sacs. This type of lime is not only famous for its scale and export value but also prestigious awards.

From 2014 to 2017, Ben Luc seedless lime was continuously honored as "Typical national agricultural products" by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Association. Currently, in addition to fresh lime, Ben Luc district also develops some lime products such as juice, dried lime peel, lime powder, lime tea powder, etc.

Ben Luc district also develops some lime products such as juice, dried lime peel, lime powder, lime tea powder, etc

In addition to Chau Thanh dragon fruit, Ben Luc lime, Long An also has many specialties that attract tourists such as Duc Hoa peanuts, Go Den rice wine, Long An sticky rice cake, Can Giuoc sand crab mam, Nang Thom Cho Dao rice, etc.

Along with that, OCOP products such as fresh sausage, spring rolls, grilled spring rolls, honey, melon, etc are also delicious dishes that cannot be missed when coming to Long An.

Opportunity to connect and promote Long An's products

According to the Provincial People's Committee, the Conference on Tourism and OCOP Products connection, cooperation and promotion between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta will be one of 10 outstanding activities held during the 2nd Culture - Sports - Tourism Week in 2024 of the province taking place from November 28, 2024 to December 4, 2024.

Director of Long Chau Agricultural Products Import-Export Processing Company Limited (Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) - Nguyen Ngoc Phan said that in the past, dragon fruit was mainly exported freshly to the Chinese market but prices fluctuated frequently. Therefore, he came up with the idea of ​​researching the process of drying dragon fruit. From there, he started producing dried dragon fruit for export and has distributed it to a number of markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, France, etc with very good consumption.

Currently, the company has a growing area linked with Duong Xuan Cooperative (Duong Xuan Hoi Commune, Chau Thanh District) and 2 products: dried dragon fruit and dried papaya that have achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Workers of Long Chau Agricultural Products Import-Export Processing Company Limited (Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) pack dried dragon fruit

Sharing about the opportunity to promote and connect agricultural products consumption of this conference, Mr. Phan said: “This is a great opportunity to promote agricultural products and OCOP products of the province, including fresh and processed dragon fruit products of Chau Thanh district. Therefore, I hope that the leaders of the province and localities will promote consumption connections, helping agricultural products have stable output, and produce with peace of mind”.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Le Thanh Dong informed: This conference aims to evaluate the results of the cooperation agreement on tourism development between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region for the period of 2020-2025 in 2024.

At the same time, through the conference, new tourism products will be introduced, regional cooperation will be promoted, experiences in attracting tourists from each customer segment will be shared, traditional tourism products with strengths of the region will be introduced and promoted.

Along with that, the conference also aims to raise awareness of rural tourism; promote trade for rural tourism products associated with the consumption of OCOP products; exploit the strengths of rural tourism of the province in particular and the Mekong Delta region in general in promoting indigenous cultural values, developing typical rural tourism products of the locality.

“The conference contributes to removing difficulties and barriers in attracting investment in the agricultural and rural sectors; connecting rural tourism models and OCOP products with travel agencies and tourism households inside and outside the province, promoting green and sustainable agricultural and rural development” - Mr. Le Thanh Dong added./.

By Long An Newspaper - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ve-long-an-thuong-thuc-cac-loai-dac-san-a186130.html