The Service of Science and Technology in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and the Fruit Tree Research Centre in Nam Bo granted the VietGAP certificate to 12 farms in the Sông Xoài commune that produce green skinned grapefruit.
The initiative was launched 2 years ago in order to help farmers follow the VietGAP regulations and adopt new practices to better manage quality and hygiene. VietGAP is a certificate that ensures written traceability at all stages of production.
Thanks to the high quality of the grapefruit which have a firm texture and sweet juice under the thick green skin, the farmers are seeing an increasing demand for the product, mainly from wholesalers. They intend to increase production acreage, not only for the local market, but also for export.
For the time being, the Sông Xoài green skinned grapefruit cooperative has 90 farm members who work over 120 hectares. They produce an annual 600-800 tons per hectare of varying grapefruit varieties, 290 tons is of the green skinned variety.