Pineapple takes root in smallholder farms, livelihoods sprout

Strong potential to expand cultivation area

In the process of restructuring the agricultural sector, Ha Tinh province is gradually establishing commodity production zones based on value chains, with enterprises acting as bridges by providing technical support and underwriting products.

After oranges, pomelos, and tea, pineapples have emerged over the past two years as a promising crop option. The plant is well-suited to local soil and climate conditions and can deliver high economic value for farmers. It is also expected to replace acacia trees in some low-slope hilly areas.

Truong Xuan Ha is among the first representatives of the Ngan Ha Pineapple Production Cooperative Group to sign a linkage contract with the Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Company (DOVECO) to grow pineapples on 8.5 ha across Cam Quan and Ky Hoa communes. After nearly two years of perseverance, Cayenne and Queen pineapple fields have brought profits of hundreds of millions of VND per hectare to the cooperative group.

“In the first crop, we did not focus much on profit, but we did not expect each hectare to bring a profit of nearly VND 150 million by the end of it. More importantly, members of the cooperative group have mastered cultivation, crop care, pest control, and harvesting techniques. Now the group is confident in acting as an intermediary to transfer techniques to farmers and seek markets to expand production to neighboring communes such as Cam Lac, Cam Xuyen, Ky Xuan, Ky Anh, and Ky Hoa,” Ha said.

Thanks to the strong involvement of DOVECO, by the end of February 2026, the total pineapple area in Ha Tinh province had exceeded 379 ha. A total of 321 ha of pineapple is directly produced by the enterprise through cooperation and land leasing from Binh Ha Livestock Joint Stock Company in Ky Hoa, Ky Lac, Ky Van, Cam Xuyen, Cam Due, and Cam Lac communes. The remaining nearly 60 ha are developed through linkages with households across several localities, including Ky Hoa, Cam Xuyen, Cam Hung, Huong Xuan, Vu Quang, Mai Hoa, and Thuong Duc.

A pineapple production cycle lasts 18 to 20 months, with investment costs of VND 140-160 million per hectare. Average yields reach 35-40 tons per hectare, generating approximately VND 220 million per hectare in fresh fruit revenue. Farmers earn extra income from suckers used for propagation, worth VND 150 million per hectare. After deducting costs, net profit can be up to VND 210-230 million per hectare per production cycle.

Spreading positive results to household farms

Alongside development in areas with large, concentrated land resources, many communes in Ha Tinh have encouraged households to switch from low-efficiency crops to pineapple cultivation. Vo Tien Nghia, born in 1964, from Dong Son village, Ky Xuan commune, is one of the pioneers.

Nghia’s family owns more than five sao (Vietnamese unit of measurement; 1 sao = 500 square meters) of garden land, which has long been used to grow vegetables and guava to sustain their livelihood. However, two strong storms in September and October 2025 wiped out the family’s guava orchard. At the end of 2025, following the local government’s initiative to link pineapple production, the family converted two sao of crop land to pineapple cultivation.

“After three months of planting and caring for the crop, I see that pineapples are well-suited to my garden’s soil. It is important that the plant is low-growing, so it avoids major damage from storms. As for economic efficiency, we still need time to verify it, but I plan to buy more seedlings to plant on the remaining three sao to create sufficient output and sell the fruits to DOVECO at the end of the crop,” he said.

Through media coverage and local government meetings, residents have become well aware of the province’s policy to develop pineapple raw-material zones throughout Ha Tinh.

According to Tran Thi Toa, head of Dong Son village, households with suitable land are determined to register and switch to concentrated pineapple cultivation, while others grow it along fences both for household use and to contribute to new rural development.

Having accompanied DOVECO since the first pineapple slips were planted in Cam Xuyen commune, Le Ngoc Ha, Chairman of the Cam Hung Commune People’s Committee, said that the “revolution” of converting low-efficiency crops to pineapples requires the strong participation of the entire political system.

In Cam Hung alone, to encourage farmers, the commune provides support in addition to enterprise assistance, covering land preparation and fertilizer costs at VND 10 million per hectare for households, cooperative groups, or cooperatives participating in production linkages with businesses.

“This year, we aim to plant 10 ha of pineapples in Son Nam, Hung Tan, Hung Tien, Dong Thuan, and Hung Trung villages. So far, 6 ha have been planted by four households, and the remaining area will be planted next month,” Chairman Ha said.

Boosting growth with science and market linkages

The development potential and initial economic efficiency of pineapple cultivation have been verified. However, Phan Van Huan, Head of the Crop Production Division under the Ha Tinh Sub-Department of Crop Production and Livestock Production, thinks otherwise. A major challenge is that pineapple production remains small-scale and fragmented, making it difficult to establish large, stable raw material zones for processing and export.

Many areas suitable for pineapple cultivation remain underutilized due to limitations in investment capital, production infrastructure, and market linkages. The application of science and technology in production, particularly in seed technology, cultivation techniques, and post-harvest preservation, has yet to be synchronized. This situation leads to inconsistent productivity and product quality, making it difficult to meet strict export market standards. 

To make the most of the crop’s potential, Ha Tinh is orienting pineapple development along a value chain from production to processing and consumption. One important step is to build strategic partnerships with enterprises such as DOVECO and Nafoods Group to develop a high-tech agricultural ecosystem and establish concentrated raw material zones linked to processing plants.

According to the orientation, specialized pineapple cultivation areas will continue to expand through crop conversion on suitable land, with a target scale of more than 3,000ha by 2030.

“Support mechanisms and policies are being developed to motivate farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises. The goal is to involve them in developing raw material zones. The policies are expected to partially support land preparation costs, pineapple seedlings, and encourage production linkages and guaranteed product underwriting.

“When these policies are implemented synchronously, together with the participation of enterprises and farmers, pineapple cultivation is expected to become a new direction in agricultural development, contributing to higher incomes, job creation, and the building of the Ha Tinh agricultural brand in the market,” Phan Van Huan said.

$ 1 = VND 26,113 - Source: Vietcombank.