(HBO) – Cao Phong district has organised various activities, especially through tourism, to promote the brand of its Cao Phong orange that received geographical indication in 2014.
The model of tours to orange orchards has been
piloted since 2016. Despite limited experience of local orange growers, the
service has attracted crowds of tourists thanks to the beauty of nature in the
locality as well as the hospitality of locals.
The model has received the support of the orange
growers as it helps them promote their products.
The Thuy Nga orange orchard in residential area
No. 4, Cao Phong town, has pioneered in this model. Dao Thi Quynh Nga, owner of
the orchard, said visitors don’t have to pay any fees and can taste the fruit
right in the orchard.
"Apart from introducing orange growing
techniques in line with VietGap standards, we would like to bring interesting
experiences to visitors, with nice photos in the orchard,” she said.
The orchard welcomes about 10 groups of visitors
each day, including holiday-makers and those who come to learn from orange
growing experience of her family.
Photo: Visitors explore orange processing lines
at the 3T Cao Phong agricultural cooperative.
After walking around the orchard, Pham Thi Thu
Ha from Dong Da district, Hanoi, and her family found a good tree to get its
fruits home. Ha said with the model, consumers feel secure about product
quality and would buy more.
For young people, orange orchards are ideal
destinations to visit and take photos. Meanwhile, for children, such field
trips offer them opportunities to explore the nature.
Nguyen Pham Phuong Anh from residential area No.
9 in Dong Tien ward, Hoa Binh city, who was taken to the orange orchard by her
mother, said she likes visiting the orchard where she can bask in the nature,
and pick oranges and flowers.
The 3T Cao Phong agricultural cooperative (3T
farm) has 25 members and 43.92 ha of orange gardens that follow VietGAP
standards. With good quality and appearance, its products have received the
four-star OCOP certificate.
With the support of the district bureau of
agriculture and rural development and women’s association, the cooperative
built a house worth 300 million VND that serves as a stopover for
visitors.
More than 30 students from a school in Hanoi
visited the 3T farm where they bought oranges for their charity trips.
Nguyen Quoc Tuan, head of the delegation, said
the greatest success of the farm trip is that the children can explore local
people and products, the development of Cao Phong orange, as well as the
happiness, pride and hardship of farmers.
"We were warmly welcomed by the 3T farm. We will
come back for sure,” he said.
Vu Thi Le Thuy, 3T farm director, said since the
beginning of this year’s orange season, the farm has welcomed around 40 groups
of visitors, each with 10-60 people.
Along with visiting orchards, visitors can learn
about orange processing of the cooperative, and are treated to local dishes,
she added.
According to Bui Van Dan, head of the district
bureau of agriculture and rural development, to form and develop such tours,
the district has carried planning for poor-quality gardens and built model
orange orchards that observe VietGAP standards.
The model is a new, practical trend that has
proven successful in the locality, helping to promote both local agriculture
and tourism services, the official said.
It has contributed to promoting locally-grown
oranges and the Cao Phong orange brand in particular, Dan said, affirming that
the model will be rolled out on a larger scale in the time ahead./.
Dinh Thang
Students from Hanoi visit an orange
orchard in Cao Phong district, Hoa Binh province.
