The Project on preserving and developing the value of peach trees and organizing Xu Lang Peach Blossom Festival: Building a key peach growing area of the country

– Lang Son has many beautiful and precious indigenous peach varieties, associated with the life and activities of the people in the province such as red peaches, fading red peaches, white peaches, bell-shaped peaches, Mau Son peaches and so on. Peach trees are full of natural, cultural and economic values ​​to become an important resource in tourism development. This is the premise for building a key peach growing area of ​​the country.

Currently, the province has more than 100 hectares of peaches planted and distributed in most districts and the city with more than 150,000 trees. In which, the majority is red peaches and fading red peaches. It is estimated that the exploiting value from peach blossom trees can reach 100 billion VND/year, the economic efficiency from peach trees can be about one billion VND/ha/year, higher than other crops such as custard apples, mandarins, black jellies and so on. Besides the economic value, the peach blossom tree is also a symbol of cultural and spiritual values. People often decorate peach trees or branches indoors on the occasion of the Lunar New Year with the expectation that the family that year will have health, peace and favorable business and so forth. It is also because of the “sacredness” that peach blossom trees are planted at Xu Lang’s ancient communal houses, temples and pagodas as a spiritual symbol.

Realizing values from peach blossom trees, on October 31, 2018, the Provincial People’s Committee decided to approve the project on preserving and developing the values of peach trees and organizing Xu Lang Peach Blossom Festival with a total investment of more than 114 billion VND. The project includes two phases of implementation: Phase 1 (2018 – 2025), Phase 2 (after 2025). Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is the leading agency.

The youth of Lang Son city grew peach trees at a policy family in Na Sen village, Hoang Dong commune

Mrs. Ha Thi Lu, Head of Culture and Family Management Division, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that implementing the project, by  2025 Lang Son strives to plan, preserve, develop space, planting area of ​​some high value varieties of peach blossoms; apply technology, science and technique to preserve, plant and tend peach trees and blossoms; create a legal basis for the conservation and development of Xu Lang peach trees; organize peach blossom festivals to introduce and promote the province’s culture and tourism. Specifically, by 2025, the province strives to plant and tend about 250 hectares of peaches, of which 50 hectares will be planted in landscape areas, 50 hectares in heritage areas and 150 hectares for commercial peaches. After 2025, the province will develop more 80 hectares of peaches, of which 30 hectares for landscape peaches, 50 hectares for commercial peaches.

In order to meet the diverse and rich development needs of peach varieties in the province, over the past years, the science and technology sector has coordinated to deploy a number of scientific research projects such as re-establishing Mau Son peaches; selection, propagation and intensive farming techniques and improvement of specialty peach growing areas in Mau Son tourist area. In addition, the industry has implemented many tasks of conserving and developing peach trees and peach blossoms such as research and development of bell-shaped peach trees in Dinh Lap district in order to exploit and develop indigenous genetic resources sustainably, creating landscape to attract tourists; revitalize Mau Son fruit peach varieties and develop a number of new peach varieties in Mau Son tourist area, Lang Son province and so on. In 2020, peach flower products will have traceability stamp. Currently, Department of Science and Technology is implementing the task of building the collective brand of Xu Lang peach blossoms; researching, conserving and developing bonsai peach genetic resources with peach varieties in the province.

Mrs. Be Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Director of Department of Science and Technology, said that with that effort, current results, Lang Son has built a model and propagation process of bell-shaped peaches in Dinh Lap district; building a process of planting and tending a number of peach varieties for flowers and fruits; finding some imported peach varieties suitable with the province’s soil conditions; successfully testing imported fruit varieties with high economic value. On August 6, 2012, Mau Son peach was among the top 50 fruit specialties announced by Vietkings.

Implementing the project, from 2019 up to now, travel companies are also actively connecting tours and tourist routes to visit peach gardens. Along with that, the districts and the city in the province have actively encouraged people to expand their cultivated areas for economic development and landscape creation. Relevant levels and sectors must combine enhancing promotional activities such as organizing peach blossom festivals, peach blossom fairs, beauty peach blossom tree contests and so on.  Mr. Hoang Van Giang, Ban Cao village, Quang Lac commune,  Lang Son city said that in recent years, all levels and sectors in the province have organized many activities to develop and enhance the value of peach blossom trees. Therefore, his family also focuses on expanding the area of ​​peach growing for economic development. Thanks to the planting and trading of more than 500 peach trees, each year, his family has an income of nearly 200 million VND.

With a practical project, in accordance with the actual situation, with the active participation of all levels, sectors, people and businesses, it is believed that in the near future, the area of peach blossom trees will reach and exceed goals; Lang Son will soon form a key peach growing area of ​​the country.