Orange and grapefruit, worry about failing: Ministry of Agriculture does not have plan

In recent years, people in many provinces have been scrambling to expand the area of citrus trees, like orange and grapefruit. Thus, it is posing the risk of "breaking the battle", even continuing the story of "rescue" agricultural products.

Citrus trees are growing rapidly thus it set down many risks. Photo: Nguyễn Thanh

Relating to the development of citrus, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cuong, Deputy Director of the Crop Production Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said that citrus fruit plantation areas have expanded recently. Typically, in 2017, the area of citrus fruit increased to 22,000ha compared to 2016.

"In the past few years, the press has informed that many farmers earned high profit from growing oranges and grapefruit, so farmers in many localities expanded their plantations. As a result, citrus trees have been grown jubilantly. These types of citrus require high land conditions, and the product is mainly served for domestic consumption, typically orange, "Cuong said.

With the development of citrus fruit tree cultivation, in response to the question whether MARD has plans for those tree, Mr. Cuong affirmed that: "According to the new regulations, there is no plan, and not in the future either, especially for non-widespread plant species such as citrus. "

However, Cuong also added: On 22/3, the Crop Production Department sent a document to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure the development of the crop, recommend the locals need to develop the structure of crops reasonably, including the area of citrus, minimize the status of "the season is devalued" which lead to the market having to participate in "rescue" agricultural products.

According to Mr. Cuong, recently, agriculture has been produced based on market demand. MARD is not allowed to ask the local people or farmers not to plant the trees or other trees, but can issue a written recommendation to the local farmers for how to make a reasonable decision. "Nevertheless, the production of these products is very rare, even in the European market, and there is still a situation of unsold agricultural products in the season," Mr. Cuong said.