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Dragon fruit can now be produced off-season

LED used for artificial lighting.

Dragon fruit can now be available all year-round through an off-season production technology.

This is a result of the study conducted by a research team led by Leonardo T. Pascua, Dragon
Fruit Research, Development and Extension Project Leader and Regional Techno-Transfer
Coordinator of the Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium
(ILARRDEC) based at the Mariano Marcos State University, Batac City.

Pascua disclosed that the off-season production is made possible by manipulating the
environment through artificial lighting using 6-watt Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs or 26-
watt compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

The lighting time, from 10:00 in the evening until 2:00 the following morning, can induce the
dragon cactus to flower during short day-months of October─March. The bulbs are suspended at
the center of the four posts of dragon cactus five feet above the ground.

In a three- month comparative study using 26-watt CFL and 6-watt LED, it was found that the
160 posts dragon cactus, planted in a 1,000 square meter-field, using 26-watt CFL could yield
729.6 kg and earn a net income of P60,329.

Moreover, the area lighted with 6-watt LED produced 560 kg and earned a net income of P21,
086.

The production cost of lighting materials, electricity, and labor for 26-watt CFL plot was
P49,111, while the 6-watt LED plot spent P62,914.

This technology has been tested in the farms of Magsasaka Syentista Edita A. Dacuycuy and
Rosebel Rasay in Burgos, Ilocos Norte; and in Engr. Albert Calsada’s farm in Bacarra, Ilocos
Norte.

CFL at the study site

Before, meeting the demand for dragon fruit in the market during off-season has been a concern
as the dragon cactus does not produce fruits during the short-day months of October─March.
The dragon cactus is a long-day flowering plant, which requires shorter dark nights to produce
flowers. Thus, breaking the dark period with supplemental lighting can induce flowering.

The research on the off-season production of dragon fruit is an offshoot of a group study tour to
Vietnam initiated and led by Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee R. Marcos. The group observed Vietnam’s
dragon fruit production system using artificial lights for flower induction during the short day-
months.

In a related development, Gov. Marcos, in her speech in one of the farmers’ congress in Laoag
City, requested the electric cooperative in Ilocos Norte to offer cheaper electricity for those
dragon fruit farms using the technology.
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As a commercial fruit crop, dragon fruit has gained popularity among Filipino agri-
entrepreneurs because of its good market potential, the relatively short time that it needs for
fruiting (and thus, profitability), and the widely-available production technologies that have
been developed for it.

By Tony A. Rodriguez

Recognizing this, Mauro Daquigan, a civil engineer who runs a successful business building
townhouses in Metro Manila, decided to invest in agribusiness in his hometown of Claveria in
Cagayan Province by setting up a dragon fruit farm. He asked his cousin Baltazar Daquigan to be
his industrial partner in the venture.

To get as much knowhow as they could about establishing a farm for producing the fruit, the
cousins made several visits to the farm of Edita Dacuycuy, whom the Department of Science and
Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and
Development (PCAARRD) designated in 2008 as farmer-scientist for organic dragon fruit
production.

Dacuycuy had established a nearly 10-hectare plantation in Burgos, Ilocos Norte that has become
Northern Luzon’s showcase for the fruit’s production. Her undertaking has the support of the
Ilocos Norte Provincial Agriculture Office and the Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research
and Development Consortium (ILARRDEC), one of PCAARRD’s 14 regional R&D (research
and development) consortia throughout the country.

Claveria is the second-to-last town before the Cagayan-Ilocos Norte boundary, after which
Burgos is next to the first two Ilocos Norte towns from the provincial border. Like Burgos,
Claveria is a coastal municipality. There, Mauro Daquigan owns a seashore property of six
hectares in the town’s Barangay Culao. For him, dragon fruit was the logical choice as a
commercial crop to grow, as the plant thrives on sandy soil.

Setting Up the Farm

This is the section of Bang R Dragon Fruit Farm that was the first to be planted.

Mauro’s partner-cousin began establishing their farm in 2011, and the businessman decided to
name it “Bang R” after his cousin. Baltzar “Bang” Daquigan began the project by fabricating
some 4,000 concrete five-inch-square by seven-feet-long posts; two feet of the base went into the
ground. Four iron bars extended from the top of each post to hold discarded motorcycle and
tricycle tires in place to supporting the plants’ canopies. Anahaw slats forming a cross attached
the tires to the posts.

Known to Ilocanos as labig, anahaw, or Palma Brava trees abound in Claveria. Anahaw wood
has long been utilized by the townsfolk as extra-strong and durable lumber that can be split into
slats for flooring. Their round leaves are for roof-thatching and wrapping food in.

Workers erected the posts at a distance of two meters from each other in rows 2.5 meters apart in
the section of the farm that had been initially prepared for planting dragon fruit. “I opted for
closer spacing and higher density planting at first so we could have income from the crop sooner
and get returns more quickly,” said Daquigan, who is a retiree from the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), adding that he wasn’t worried about overcrowding
because “…we still had more space available for our succeeding plantings.”

Procurement of planting materials followed the erection of the posts. For their first planting,
Daquigan purchased Php120,000 worth of eight-inch-long Red Variety cuttings from the
Department of Agriculture (DA) seed farm in Abulug, three towns eastward from Claveria. “The
cuttings for the other sections would come
from those first plants later while we built more posts and prepared the other areas.”

He and two helpers planted four cuttings around each of the existing posts. They dug holes two
feet in diameter and two feet deep six inches from the posts and filled each hole with clayey
topsoil mixed with old sawdust and manure from a poultry farm in a neighboring town so that
the cuttings would root well. The old sawdust came from a sawmill operated by a defunct
logging company in Claveria where Daquigan had worked as forester before joining the DENR.

With the clay in the topsoil, the cuttings needed only minimal watering during the rooting period.
The men planted the cuttings three inches deep in the holes and in such a way that each of these
leaned towards one face of the posts.

When the plants developed immature stems after the 15-day rooting period, the helpers tied these
to the posts with plastic straw to ‘train’ them up the posts while these grew aerial roots and
attached themselves to their columns. They limited the growth of lateral shoots, allowing only
two to three main stems to grow.

Before the plants began flowering they fertilized these with a mixture of dried chicken manure as
organic fertilizer, 14-14-14, and muriate of potash, which they applied through the ring method
one meter from each post. Daquigan saw to it that the plants each received a liberal dose of dried
chicken manure at the rate of one sack for every three posts.

The Fruitful Results

They began picking the first ripe fruits about 45 days after the plants flowered; Daquigan
observed that the bright-green color of the immature fruits turned to red as these ripened, and
they picked the fruits four days after the color of the terminal changed to full red and the fruits’
navel end swelled to the point that these began to show signs of cracking.

“We initially picked three kilograms of fruit per post. Because of our fertilization regimen with
its liberal dose of organic fertilizer, we harvested fruits that weighed from 500 to 600 grams
each. After the harvest period in November, we again applied the fertilizers. Experts say that a
hectare of three-year-old plants can yield up to 5,000 to 6,000 kilos of fruit a year.”

The harvest volume grew steadily; in 2013 it was at 3,200 kilos. The fruits sold easily in Claveria
and the neighboring town of Sanchez Mira with its bigger market; some were shipped to Metro
Manila at the farm owner’s behest. Three sections of the farm have now been planted both to the
red and white-fleshed fruit varieties.

“People who have tasted our dragon fruit say that its the sweetest of all in northwestern Cagayan,
where several farms also produce the fruit at present—some established before ours,” says
Daquigan.“Dragon fruit is now popular in our province. Tuguegarao City, our provincial and
regional capital, has become a good market for dragon fruit. I’ve heard that a farm in Allacapan
town near Cagayan’s central part was the first to go into dragon fruit production, even before the
establishment of the Dacuycuy farm in Ilocos Norte.”

Plans for the Future

Daquigan will continue planting more of the climbing cactus as soon as he can get cuttings from
the first plants in the farm. He has also planted a large number of coconut trees throughout the
property.

“Being beside the sea, we plan to try to develop this place into an agritourism destination,
especially after the developer of the country’s first power-generating windmills in Bangui, Ilocos
Norte carries out their plan to construct energy generators along the Claveria coast,” said
Daquigan. “Kiosks on the sand dune hills between our dragon fruit plantation and the seashore
can provide scenic views of our entire farm and the wooded hills studded with tall anahaw trees
beyond it.”

Aside from preparing more planting sections for dragon fruit, there’s not much to do as far as the
established and fruiting plants are concerned. Daquigan directs his helpers to regularly prune the
plants for these to have open, easily manageable, and highly productive canopies.

“Our weeding procedure is simple and virtually cost-free. We just allow cattle to graze between
the rows of Dragon Fruit. We need only to do minimal hand-weeding around the base of the
posts.”
He employs only two regular helpers who live on the farm with their families in homes Daquigan
helped them to build. “They are now on their third year with me and I cannot say anything
unfavorable about the way they have worked,” says Bang. “Maybe it is because they are grateful
that I took them from the irregular jobs they had in town that hardly enabled them to make ends
meet for their families. Here, they even plant vegetables and raise native chickens for their
table.”

This appeared in Agriculture Monthly’s November 2014 issue.

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Dragon fruit dominates Việt Nam fruit

exports
Update: June, 09/2018 - 09:00

The price of white dragon fruit currently stands at about VNĐ20,000 (US$0.87) per kg while red
dragon fruit sells for VNĐ40,000 per kg. — VNA/VNS Photo Kim Hà

Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI — Dragon fruit has dominated Vietnamese fruit exports in the first four months of 2018
with total exports reaching US$427 million, a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent.

According to the General Department of Việt Nam Customs, dragon fruit accounted for 32 per
cent of the total export value of Vietnamese vegetables and fruits. The export value of dragon
fruit was nearly four times higher than the two fruit exports ranked below it – longan, which had
an export value of US$121 million, and mangos, whose export value stood at US$104 million.
Dragon fruit exports also outperformed the vegetables group, which had an export value of
US$143.8 million, and processed products, at US$143.6 million.

Thanks to favourable exports, prices of different variations of dragon fruit in the raw materials
sector have remained high since the beginning of the year. The price of white dragon fruit
currently stands at about VNĐ20,000 (US$0.87) per kg while red dragon fruit sells for
VNĐ40,000 per kg. In addition to Bình Thuận, called the “dragon fruit capital,” the fruit is now
being grown in many southern provinces in Việt Nam, specifically Long An and Tiền Giang.

Aside from dragon fruit, mango exports also made a strong impression by doubling its export
value in the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year, reaching
US$104 million and pushing its market share from 5 per cent in 2017 to nearly 8 per cent from
January to April 2018. Mangoes are mainly exported to China, the Republic of Korea, Australia,
and Japan.

The value of mango exports to Chinese market during the same period reached US$95 million,
up 119 per cent over the same period last year and accounting for 91 per cent of Việt Nam’s total
export turnover of mangoes.

According to statistics from the Department of Farm Produce Processing and Market (DFPPM)
under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, fruit and vegetable exports from
January to May reached US$1.62 billion, an increase of 16.4 per cent against the same period
last year.

China remains Việt Nam’s largest importer of vegetables and fruits.

In the first five months of 2018, Việt Nam’s total import value reached $575 million, a year-on-
year increase of 15.3 per cent.

In order to maintain the export growth of vegetables and fruits and avoid devaluation, the
DFPPM said Việt Nam’s fruit and vegetable industry must maintain control over quarantine and
food hygiene and safety, especially pesticide residues. In addition to inspecting and speeding up
the processing of factories every year, they must coordinate with localities to concentrate on
reinforcing the raw materials sector to ensure the quality of raw materials for production and
processing for export, the DFPPM said. — VNS
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Dragon Fruit Production in Vietnam: Achievements and

Challenges
2018-06-28
Trinh Xuan Hoat*, Mai Van Quan, Nguyen Thi Thanh Hien, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Ha Minh
Thanh, Nguyen Van Liem

Plant Protection Research Institute, Duc Thang ward, Bac Tu Liem district, Ha Noi city,

Vietnam

ABSTRACT

In Vietnam, the total production area of dragon fruit is approximately 50.000 ha with White
Flesh variety accounting for about 95% and Red Flesh variety accounting for about 5%. Dragon
fruit is mainly grown in Binh Thuan, Long An and Tien Giang provinces with more than 37.000
ha. The average yield is 22.7 tons/ha with the total annual production of nearly 700.000 tons.
Fresh dragon fruit is used primarily for domestic consumption (15-20%) and for exportation
(80-85%) to 40 countries and territories. In addition to traditional markets such as China,
Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Taiwan, dragon fruit is exported to
fastidious markets like USA, Italy, Japan and Singapore, and some new markets (India, New
Zealand, Australia and Chile). In the first 8 months of 2016, China - the main export market of
dragon fruits, accounting for 91.2% of total turnover - reached 518.1 million USD; USA - the
second largest dragon fruit export market of Vietnam - reached 11.64 million USD, accounting
for 2.1% of total turnover. Thailand became Vietnam's third largest dragon fruit export market
with a turnover of US$1.09 million. However, dragon fruit production in Vietnam is facing many
difficulties including: (i) The impact of climate change, diseases and insect pests, (ii) The price
of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) always tend to increase. This leads to the increase in the
production cost and reduction in the competitiveness of dragon fruit both in the domestic and
international markets, (iii) The price of dragon fruits is unstable and always depends on the
cropping season and other market factors. The expansion to other markets meets high
requirements mainly due to technical barriers, while the ability to meet quality standards, pre-
processing technologies, preservation and long-distance transport in the dragon fruit production
chain is slowly being improved, (iv) Major competitors in dragon fruit production such as China,
Indonesia and Thailand are developing raw materials and penetrating bigger markets, especially
in China and Indonesia. To develop the dragon fruit industry, the following solutions are
necessary: diversification of products, organization of production, enhancing the effectiveness of
pests and diseases management, development of diversity distribution channels, management of
dragon fruit business, development of cooperation in dragon fruit production and procurement,
and investment into processing of dragon fruit products.

Keywords: Dragon fruit, disease and insect pests, market, processing

DRAGON FRUIT PRODUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN VIETNAM

Vietnam has the largest area and output of dragon fruit in Asia and is the leading exporter of
dragon fruit in the world. Dragon fruit is currently being grown in almost all provinces, but it has
grown into large-scale intensive farming areas in Binh Thuan, Tien Giang and Long An
provinces. The planting-area of dragon fruit in the three provinces accounts for about 92% of the
total area and about 96% of the country's output (Table 1).

Binh Thuan province has the largest area and output of dragon fruit accounting for 63.2% of the
total area and 68.4% of the country's output, followed by Long An (accounting for 17.3% and
14.2%) and Tien Giang province (accounting for 10.9% and 13.7%, respectively). The remaining
planting-areas are in some southern provinces such as Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Tay Ninh, Ba Ria-
Vung Tau and some provinces in the north such as Lang Son, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Quang
Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Ha Noi (Table 1).

Most of the dragon fruit grown in Vietnam is Hylocereus undatus, with red or pink/white skin
and White Flesh accounting for about 95%, the rest is Red Flesh accounting for about 5%.
Dragon fruit planted in recent years has high yields that brings high income to the growers. It can
now be available all year-around through an off-season production technology that mainly
happens by manipulating the environment through artificial lighting lamps. The price of fruit
from off-season is usually from US$0.15 to US$0.25 higher in comparison with that from the
main-season, which is very favorable for export. The dragon fruit season is from April to
October, the most from May to August. Many dragon fruit varieties are bred to increase
productivity, quality and suitability of land and climate. As a result, dragon fruit become
economically viable and have a high competitive advantage over other crops.
Dragon fruit is mainly marketed in the form of fresh fruit in which the domestic market accounts
for 15 - 20% of the output; while the remaining 80 - 85% of the output is from exports.

Domestic market

Dragon fruit has been present in most of the domestic market, with much concentration in the
north, south and central Coastal provinces. The purchasing of dragon fruit in the market is
conducted by businesses, the purchasing and packing dragon fruit through the distribution
channels, wholesale markets in the provinces and cities. Dragon fruit is also present in all
domestic supermarkets, but always be in high competitive with many other kinds of fruit. It is
estimated that dragon fruit consuming in the domestic market is only about 15 - 20% of total
production (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

International market

Vietnam’s dragon fruit is exported to 40 countries and territories such as China, Thailand,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, Italy, Japan, Singapore, India, New
Zealand, Australia, Chile, etc. According to the statistic data, Vietnam exported about 900,000
tons of dragon fruit in 2015; in the first eight-months of the year 2016, dragon fruit export of
Vietnam accounted for 49.8% of the total fruit export turnover, reaching US$567.88 million that
up to 123% over the same period of the year 2015.

In the first 8 months of 2016:

China - the main export market of dragon fruits, accounted for 91.2% of the total turnover,
reached US$518.1 million, up 165.3% compared with 8 months of 2015.

US - the second largest dragon fruit export market of Vietnam, reached US$11.64 million in the
first eight months of 2016 accounting for 2.1% of the total turnover, up 48.2% over the same
period of 2015.

Notably, Thailand became Vietnam's third largest dragon fruit export market with a turnover of
US$1.09 million, a surge of 73.3%. The first eight months of 2016 reached US$9.73 million
accounting for 1.7% of the total (Table 2, Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

Table 2. Key export markets for dragon fruits in the first eight months of 2016 (Unit: thousand
USD)

Compared with August of

Market August 2016 Percentage (%)
2015 (%)
China 518,126 165.3 91.2
USA 11,646 48.2 2.1
Thailand 9,739 -16.7 1.7
Indonesia 6,786 1.9 1.2
Holland 3,329 9.8 0.6
Hong Kong 3,243 -74.8 0.6
Canada 3,072 5.9 0.5
Singapore 2,748 -7.5 0.5
Japan 1,675 -52.6 0.3
Korea 1,612 -23.1 0.3
India 1,290 0.8 0.2
UAE 1,222 -2.0 0.2
Malaysia 1,036 -0.8 0.2
Germany 511 -22.9 0.1
France 494 26.1 0.1
UK 371 57.2 0.1
Swiss 192 9.2 0.0
Italia 154 -40.1 0.0
Belgium 133 -23.9 0.0
Norway 133 664.7 0.0
Spain 104 45.8 0.0
New Zealand 56 -18.8 0.0
Myanmar 46 26.9 0.0
Chile 38 170.9 0.0
Taiwan 24 69.7 0.0
Russia 22 -61.7 0.0
Saudi Arabia 21 0.0
Sec 4 -57.2 0.0
Oman 2 0.0
Qatar 1 -55.3 0.0
Laos 1 0.0

Source: MARD, 2015

DIFFICULTIES OF DRAGON FRUIT PRODUCTION IN VIETNAM

Production

Although dragon fruit production area under GAP standards is about 9,000 ha; however, the
abuse of pesticides and growth regulators on dragon fruit is still occurring and not meeting the
demand of markets for food safety. Infrastructure for intensive production of dragon fruit has not
been invested properly, lack of electricity and irrigation systems, especially in drought and water
shortage conditions. This has led to the decrease on the planting area of dragon fruit in Vietnam
in recent years.

The brown spot disease (also known as white spot disease that caused by the
fungus Neoscytalidium dimidiatum) (Nguyen and Quan, 2017) - infected area has recently
decreased, but the risk of spread and outbreak of the disease is still high since there is no specific
pesticides to control effectively the brown spot disease; the disease inoculum in the infected
plant debris is still available in the field and there is no method for completely destroying the
debris.

Although there were many enterprises and farmer organizations (such as the associated group,
the cooperative group, the dragon fruit alliance) were established and went into operation;
however, the associations have not formed effective links to promote sustainable production and
consumption of dragon fruit in Vietnam. The dragon fruit growers sell products mainly through
traders where they do not get good price, especially in main-season. Not being able to spread the
crop in dragon fruit production to regulate the quantity of dragon fruits for consumption (Binh
Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).
Consumption and processing of dragon fruits

The domestic market has not been expanded, main export categories are low, export markets
depend mainly on the Chinese market that will be high risk for dragon fruit production in
Vietnam. The expansion of the export market is still limited. The volume of dragon fruits
exported to China in the form of border trade accounts for a large proportion, but unregulated,
the phenomenon of congestion and stagnation of goods at the border causes many risks for
enterprises. Dragon fruit exports to the Chinese market in the form of cross-border trade do not
require high quality, transport procedures, delivery and easy payment. The majority of dragon
fruit exporters in Vietnam are medium and small scale with limited foreign trade knowledge,
limited funds for trade promotion activities. In addition, the provincial budget for marketing and
trade promotion for dragon fruit products has not been strong and has not meet the demand of the
market.

In the management of dragon fruit trade, consumption is still limited, lack of tight; especially, the
lack of management in intermediate traders causes many problems such as scramble for purchase
rights, price disputes, quality and depreciation rates, etc. This contributes to the price fluctuation
of dragon fruit in the markets.

The propaganda and promotion of trade in dragon fruit products is weak, not regular and not
bring into play the geographical indications of Vietnamese dragon fruit in the international
markets.

The technology of packing, preserving and processing of dragon fruits are also simple leading to
the reduction in the competitiveness of Vietnamese dragon fruit. Dragon fruit is mainly
consumed in the form of fresh fruit, processing factories from dragon fruit is limited and in small
scale (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

CHALLENGING

From 2009 to 2010, brown spot disease has appeared in small areas in Binh Thuan province.
Until 2012, the disease has re-emerged in Ham Thuan Nam and Ham Thuan Bac districts of Binh
Thuan province and is now widely spread in the dragon fruit growing areas of the Binh Thuan,
Long An and Tien Giang provinces causing great damage, high yield loss and reduction in
quality and price of dragon fruit in the markets. At the end of 2012, the total infected area of
Binh Thuan province reached to 827,5 ha and up to 1,393 ha in 2013 and 12,870 ha in 2014
accounting for about 50% of the total dragon fruit growing area of the province (VAAS, 2016).

In addition to brown spot disease, other disease and insect pests such as anthracnose, bacterial
soft rot diseases, oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis H.) and guava fruit fly (Bactrocera
correcta B.) are also important pests of dragon fruit in Vietnam. From 2015, the root rot disease
has occurred and severely damaged, serious threaten to dragon fruit production (Hien et al.,
2011, 2016).

The main causes of the increase in the number and the incidence of pests are due to:

 The high level of investments in intensive but unsustainable cultivation (use of many
chemical fertilizers and less organic fertilizer);
 The level of over-exploitation of fruit in both main-season and the off-season using
electricity technology has led to the loss of resistance of plant;
 Farmers are not interested in integrated pest management measures, especially pruning,
removing and destroying of the infected debris, but rather focusing on using pesticides;
 The inoculum of brown spot disease is existing in the field; however, farmers are not
actively doing hygenic practices in their farms as recommended by the agricultural sector
in the rainy season, this leads to the spread of diseases rapidly to new areas.
 There are no biological products or specific pesticides for controlling of brown spot
disease, and the efficacy of current chemical pesticides is low due to the smooth
characteristics of dragon fruit that is very difficult for pesticides to stick on the surface of
branches and fruits. The efficacy of pesticides is reduced especially in the rainy season.
 In addition, farmers use plant growth regulators that lead to the reduction of plant
resistance against pests and decrease in product quality;
 Vietnamese farmers produce dragon fruit spontaneously in small scale by traditional
methods and beyond their experiences, using inappropriate pesticides; so that the quality
does not meet the demand of the big international markets. Farmers sell their product to
the traders which is very risky for farmers especially in the "high yield but low price"
situation;
 The price of dragon fruits is unstable and always depends on the cropping season and
other market factors. The expansion to other markets meets high requirements mainly
due to technical barriers, while the ability to meet quality standards, pre-processing
technologies, preservation and long-distance transport in the dragon fruit production
chain is slowly being improved;
 The price of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) always tend to increase. This leads to the
increase in the production cost and reduction in the competitiveness of dragon fruit both
in the domestic and international markets;
 Major competitors in dragon fruit production such as China, Indonesia and Thailand are
developing raw materials and penetrating bigger markets, especially in China and
Indonesia (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

PROSPECTIVES

Diversification of products

In addition to the White Flesh variety, there are other varieties such as Red Flesh variety named
LĐ1, Purple and Pink Flesh variety named LĐ5. Diversification of varieties will contribute to
diversified products in the market while reducing competition pressure for traditional White
Flesh variety. This is true especially for the LĐ5 variety which have the advantages of long-term
preservation, good quality, beautiful appearance, high disease resistance that promis a new
potential future for the dragon fruit production in Vietnam. In addition, this variety is being
monopolized and will be highly competitive and not dependent on the import market.

Organization of production

 Strengthening the management of dragon fruit - growing area according to the approved
plan; advise people not to develop new gorwing areas but focus on improving product
quality and ensuring food safety;
 The production of dragon fruit must be oriented in accordance to GAP standards, with
emphasis on quality not to follow quantity to ensure quality, food safety for export;
 To carry out synchronously from the production to processing stages under the provisions
of the Law on Food Safety; absolutely no abuse of plant growth regulators and pesticide
use on dragon fruit products.
 Link to form the production chain, the dragon fruit consumption on the basis creating the
best conditions for enterprises to associate with the farmer organizations and strengthen
cooperatives producing dragon fruit to improve the production capacity and link with the
business (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

Promoting trade activities

For Domestic markets

The enterprises handle the distribution and consumption of dragon fruits in provinces and cities
throughout the country. The demand for dragon fruit in the domestic markets is still capable of
further development. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on marketing and promoting Vietnamese
dragon fruits in the form of participating in fairs and exhibitions in different regions, provinces
and cities in the whole country to develop distribution systems in wholesale markets,
supermarket; especially, focus on the markets of big city such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and some
coastal provinces in Central Vietnam and Central Highlands.
Dragon fruit production and trading cooperatives and dragon fruit trading enterprises should
closely coordinate with the implementation of cooperative programs between dragon fruit -
growing provinces and markets on the supply and consumption of Vietnamese dragon fruit and
other products (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

For international markets

Continue to boost exports to the Chinese market to maintain the form of cross-border trading, to
promote the formation of linkages with traders who are specialized in fruit and vegetable
distribution in Lao Cai (Vietnam), Ha Khau (Yunnan, China) to strengthen exportation of dragon
fruit to the Southwest markets of China.

Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway has been completed, which will facilitate the transportation of
export goods to develop this market. Along with that, the trade opened stronger through the
Thanh Thuy border gate of Ha Giang province - Thien Bao (Yunnan, China). Encourage
businesses to boost export of dragon fruit by sea to inland China such as Shanghai, Beijing,
Tianjin, Shenzhen, Zhejiang, Hubei and Qingdao (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).

Management of dragon fruit business, development of cooperation in dragon fruit

production and procurement

In the coming time, it is necessary to review and list all of dragon fruit business enterprises.
Cooperate closely with relevant authorities to identify and closely monitor the activities of
traders.

Dragon Fruit Group according to VietGAP (VietGAP Group) standard should appoint
representatives to provide services to produce dragon fruit to work directly with the consumption
business to limit through intermediary traders. Mobilizing the farms, the VietGAP Group priority
to sell products to enterprises in the system.

Reorganizing the supply chain of the enterprise to control the trader objects to limit the situation
of competition between enterprises together, disrupt the supply chain of each other. Enterprises
should thoroughly understand about international traders before deciding to sign trading
contracts; only dealing with reputable traders, knowing the business, having financial power;

Enterprises must really unite, closely coordinate with each other to penetrate market expansion,
coordination of delivery plans; it is important to avoid competing massively at the same time at a
border gate. Interested to associate with the producers by the hard contract - consumption
products to actively develop business plans - consumption (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit
Association, 2016).

Investments into processing of dragon fruit products

The State should set out guidelines for attracting investments; encouraging and supporting
enterprises to invest in factories for heat treatment and dragon fruit irradiation according to the
technical requirements of markets. This is an important condition for dragon fruit to be exported
to these difficult but potential markets.

In addition, it is necessary to encourage and support businesses to invest in processing dragon

fruit products to reduce the pressure on fresh fruit consumption and to have policies to support
and solve problems of the enterprises who have invested in processing dragon fruits for stable
operation. This leads to the expansion in scale and improvement in the processing capacity of
quality products. At the same time it ensures food safety and encourages the practice of proper
hygiene to meet market requirements.

To mobilize enterprises in the provinces who have financial capability, have markets and
experience in the international markets to set up enterprises to invest in processing and export
business to create new consumption capacity, contribute more actively into dragon fruit
sustainable development (Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, 2016).
 REFERENCES

Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association. 2016. Report on the consumption status of dragon
fruit in domestic and international markets (In Vietnamese).

Hien, N.T.T., L.D. Khanh and L.Q. Khai. 2011. Fruit fly species (Tephritidae: Diptera) and
their hosts in dragon fruit production area of Binh Thuan province. Journal of Vietnamese
Agricutural Science and Technology 9: 41-45.

Hien, N.T.T., L.D. Khanh, H.T.K. Lien, V.V. Thanh and V.T.T. Trang. 2016. Seasonal
abundan of oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis H.) and guava fruit fly (Bactrocera
correcta B.) in Binh Thuan province. The 2nd National Conference of Plant Science. Page
905-909 (In Vietnamese).

Nguyen, D.T. and M.V. Quan. 2017. Morphological and molecular identification
of Neoscytalidium dimitatum causing white spot disease of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) in
Vietnam. Science and Technology Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development (In
Vietnamese).

Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS). 2016. Report on the urgent measures
for management of brown spot disease (Neoscytalidium dimidiatum) and other pests on
dragon fruit. http://vaas.org.vn/ date of access: 8 March 2018.
 Link-5

Vietnam is looking to expand its dragon fruit production and export markets, report claims

Vietnam’s biggest dragon fruit producing region is planning to expand its production for export
markets, according to Viet Nam News.
Bình Thuận province, which farms over 9,500ha of dragon fruit under the Vietnamese Good
Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards, is striving to add 300 more hectares under the
scheme this year, the publication said.

Bình Thuận currently produces more than 600,000 tonnes of dragon fruit annually, the report
said.

Vietnam’s total dragon fruit exports reached US$427m in the first four months of 2018, a year-
on-year increase of 9 per cent, the publication added.

In a bid to develop new export markets for Vietnam’s dragon fruit production, Vietnam’s
ambassador to India this week led a delegation of trade officials from Vietnam’s Bình Thuận
province to India, Viet Nam News said.

At a marketing event in New Delhi on 25 September, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Tôn Sinh
Thanh briefed attendees on Vietnam and the advantages Bình Thuận holds in tourism and
agriculture. He said he expected promotional events to further trade relations between the two
countries.

Over the following several days, officials from Bình Thuận were scheduled to meet with the
Trade Promotion Council of India and Reliance Retail Limited. They were also due to attend an
international food and beverage trade show in Mumbai, as well as another promotional event for
dragon fruit at Sofitel Mumbai BKC hotel, the website said.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, dragon fruit accounted for 32 per
cent of Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports.

Revenue from dragon fruit exports was nearly four times higher than the two fruit exports ranked
below it – longan, which had an export value of US$121m, and mangoes, whose export value
stood at US$104m.
 Link-6

Date
September 7-9, 2015
Venue
Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Co-organizer
Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute
Southern Horticultural Research Institute
Background / Highlights of Activity

Background and Rationale:

Pitaya or dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp. and Selenicereus spp.) is a climbing-vine cactus species native to the
tropical forest regions of Mexico and Central and South America. In the past two decades, it has gained
popularity among producers, exporters and consumers alike in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam where agro-environmental conditions are conducive for growing this fruit plant. In
Vietnam alone, its cultivation area is reaching near 30,000 hectares with 640,000 ton of fruit products in 2013.
And several factors are accountable for the popularity of this crop: 1) high net returns; 2) functional properties
because of its high level of antioxidants; and 3) emerging export potential to high-value markets in developed
countries due to its uniqueness and health benefits. Pitaya also shows certain agronomic features that improve its
potential as a replacement crop with high commercial value. These characteristics include: 1) the relative ease of
propagation by cuttings; 2) its relatively low crop maintenance; 3) the short turnaround time between planting
and harvesting compared to other tropical fruit trees; 4) its high yield rate; and 5) as a perennial crop, with
proper care, it can provide a steady income.

However, on the negative side, many factors limit pitaya potential productivity and downgrade fruit quality.
Among them, heavy rainfall events or poor crop management practices such as over-watering can cause flowers
to drop, and fruit to split or rot. Apart from limiting the pitaya crop to reach its yield potential, prevailing poor
production technologies also lead to serious occurrences of diseases and pests. Currently, anthracnose, stem
canker, brown stem spots, and fruit rot are prevalent in major pitaya growing areas in the Asian-Pacific region.
And the emerging infectious stem canker has recently caused collapses of many pitaya orchards in Southeast
Asia. Protection measures to control these diseases with chemical pesticides are not only costly to small-scale
farmers, they also can disrupt natural biological control, and are damaging to human health and the
environment. On the other hand, to access higher-value markets of local, regional or international importance,
pitaya fruit products need to be free from diseases, pests, blemishes and pesticide residues, along with desirable
size, shape, color and taste. Addressing these issues, the implementation of integrated crop management
systems including the use of healthy planting materials can improve yield and quality, forcing culture techniques
extend the harvest season, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), which involve a systematic, stepwise on-farm
operation, assure fruit product safety and quality that will benefit both farmers and consumers.

Therefore, the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asian and Pacific Region, Taiwan Agricultural
Research Institute (TARI), and the Southern Horticultural Research Institute (SOFRI) in Vietnam join hands to
organize the workshop to share the latest advances in understanding the constraints limiting pitaya production
and marketing as well as newly-developed doable technologies such as optimal spacing, trellising, disease
diagnosis, integrated pest management, pruning, phenology manipulation, and GAP that increase pitaya
productivity, safety and marketability.

Workshop Objectives:

1) To contribute to the improvement in pitaya productivity, safety and marketability

2) To share the current state of pitaya research

3) To identify areas for collaboration in research and exchange of plant materials

Venue:

Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch (FTHEB), which is a branch of Taiwan Agricultural Research
Institute. The Branch was established in 1940 for the improvement of fruit and vegetables adaptable to tropical
and sub-tropical environments. Its 64-hectare site is located in Kaohsiung City (22°33' N and 120°22'E) where
average temperature during summer is around 33 degrees Celsius and average rainfall in the wet season could
reach 2,000 mm. FTHEB with 70-plus research and technical staffs under four research departments has been
successful at breeding and selecting tropical fruit and vegetables, improving diagnostic and research techniques,
and developing innovative pre-harvest and post-harvest management systems to enhance productivity and
quality.
Program
 Program

Papers

OVERVIEW PAPER

1. Thirty One Years of Research and Development in the Vine Cacti Pitaya Cultivation in Israel
Yosef Mizrahi

COUNTRY REPORTS

2. Status of Dragon Fruit Cultivation and Marketing in Indonesia

Irwan Muas and Jumjunidang

3. Status of Dragon Fruit Production in Malaysia

M. Zainudin and B. Ahmad Hafiz

4. Pitaya Production and Marketing Scenario in Myanmar: Current Status and Challenges
Zaw Htun Myint

5. Dragon Fruit Production and Marketing in the Philippines: Its Status, Constraints and Prospects
Leonardo T. Pascua, Miriam E. Pascua and Maura Luisa S. Gabriel

BREEDING, PHYSIOLOGY AND CROP MANAGEMENT

6. Pitaya Breeding Strategies for Improving Commercial Potential in Taiwan

Pi-Chuan Liu, Shang-Han Tsai, and Chung-Ruey Yen

7. Development of Integrated Crop Management Systems for Pitaya in Taiwan

Yi-Lu Jiang and Wen-Ju Yang

8. Pitaya Reproductive Phenology in Relation to Production System

Yi-Lu Jiang and Wen-Ju Yang

MANAGEMENT OF DISEASES AND INSECT PESTS

9. Fungal Diseases of Pitaya in Malaysia

Masratul Hawa Mohd, Baharuddin Salleh and Latiffah Zakaria

10. Diseases of Dragon Fruit in Thailand: Incidence and Management Strategies

Pornpimon Athipunyakom, Suneerat Seemadua, and Chanintorn Doungsa-ard

11. Pathogen Identification and Management of Pitaya Canker and Soft Rot in Taiwan
Chu-Ping Lin, Hui-Fang Ni, Pao-Jen Ann, Hong-Ren Yang, Jiao-Wen Huang, Ming-Fuh Chuang, S.L. Shu , S.Y.
Lai, Yi-Lu Jiang, and Jyh-Nong Tsai

12. Viral Diseases of Pitaya and Other Cactaceae Plants

Yong-Shi Li, Ching-Hua Mao, Ting-Yi Kuo, and Ya-Chun Chang

13. Management Strategies of Major Pitaya Diseases in Vietnam

Nguyen Thanh Hieu and Nguyen Van Hoa

14. Study of Insect Pests and Development of Their Control Measures on Dragon Fruit
Le Quoc Dien and Nguyen Van Hoa

VALUE CHAIN INITIATIVES

15. Development and Implementation of GAP on Pitaya in Vietnam: Status and Challenges
Nguyen Van Hoa , John Campbell, Nguyen Huu Hoang, and Nguyen Minh Chau

16. Value Chain Initiatives for Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) Market Development
John Malcolm Campbell, Nguyen Van Hoa, Nguyen Minh Chau, and Nguyen Huu Hoang

NOTES
 17. Off-Season Flowering Treatment by Lighting Red Pulp Dragon Fruit in Gia Lam District, Hanoi,
Vietnam
Nguyen Quoc Hung and Nguyen Thi Thu Huong

18. Production Potential of Pitaya in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Thomas W. Zimmerman, Carlos Montilla and Stafford M.A. Crossman

19. Dragon Fruit: The New Money Crop in the Coastal Areas of Northwestern Cagayan
Marilou B. Agaid, Amedita D. Ampe, and Jennilyn A. Tayawa

20. Sustaining and Improving Pitaya Production in Abiotic Stress Environments: A Case Study in
Penghu, Taiwan
Yu-Chun Chu, Wen-Hao Lee, and Jer-Chia Chang

21. Taiwan’s New Growers Group Expands and Promotes Pitaya

Yu-Hsien Lin

Proceedings
Proceedings (32MB)
Highlights
Highlights of the Workshop on Improving Pitaya Production and Marketing
 Link-7

cheme for establishment of new garden (Fruit crops)

Fruit crop: (a) Cost intensive crops (Area expansion - for a maximum area of 4 ha per beneficiary)

Component Subsidy details Remarks Scheme

Unit cost: Rs.4.00 lakh/ ha

For Integrated package with drip
irrigation and trellis, 40% of the unit cost
limited to maximum Rs.1.60 lakh/ ha and
for TSP 50% of the unit cost limited to
maximum 2.00 lakh/ha.
Unit cost: Rs.1.25 lakh/ ha
Without Integrated package with drip
Fruit crops irrigation and trellis, 40% of the unit cost
like Grape, limited to maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ ha.
Kiwi, Passion And for TSP Region, 50% of the unit cost
fruit etc. limited to maximum Rs.62500/ ha.
Subsidy for planting material and
IPM/INM inputs.
Subsidy allotted in 3 splits
(60:20:30) of the unit cost
estimated of the fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
installed.
Additional subsidy given by state
government to general category
15% and 25% for reserved Hrt-2,
category. 3, 4, 9,
Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.

Unit cost: Rs.2.80 lakh/ ha

For Integrated package with drip
irrigation and mulching, 40% of the unit
cost limited to maximum Rs.1.12 lakh/
ha and for TSP 50% of the unit cost Subsidy for planting material and
limited to maximum 1.40 lakh/ha. IPM/INM inputs
New drip irrigation has to be
Unit cost: Rs.1.25 lakh/ ha installed.
Without Integrated package with drip Additional subsidy given by state
irrigation and trellis, 40% of the unit cost government to general category
limited to maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ ha. 15% and 25% for reserved Hrt-2,
And for TSP Region, 50% of the unit cost category. 3, 4, 9,
2) Strawberry limited to maximum Rs.62500/ ha. Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.

Biennial crops such as banana and pineapple

Component Subsidy details Remarks Scheme

Unit cost: Rs.2.00 lakh/ ha.

With integrated package with drip Subsidy for planting material and
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to IPM/INM inputs
maximum Rs.0.80 lakh/ ha. Subsidy allotted in 2 splits (75:25)
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost of the unit cost estimated of the
limited to maximum Rs.1.00 lakh/ha. fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
Unit cost: Rs. 87500/ ha. installed.
Without integrated package with drip Additional subsidy given by state
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to government to general category
maximum Rs.0.35 lakh/ ha. 15% and 25% for reserved Hrt – 2,
3) Banana For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost category. 3, 4, 9,
(sucker) limited to maximum Rs.43750 lakh/ha. Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.

Unit cost: Rs.3.00 lakh/ ha. Subsidy for planting material and
With integrated package with drip IPM/INM inputs
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to Subsidy allotted in 2 splits (75:25)
maximum Rs.1.20 lakh/ ha. of the unit cost estimated of the
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost fruit crop.
limited to maximum Rs.1.50 lakh/ha. New drip irrigation has to be
installed.
Unit cost: Rs. 87500/ ha. Additional subsidy given by state
Without integrated package with drip government to general category Hrt – 2,
4) Pineapple irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to 15% and 25% for reserved 3, 4, 9,
(sucker) maximum Rs.0.35 lakh/ ha. category. 13, 14
 For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost Area limit maximum up to 4 ha.
limited to maximum Rs.43750 lakh/ha.

Tissue culture planting material of Banana and Pineapple

Component Subsidy details Remarks Scheme

Unit cost: Rs.3.00 lakh/ ha.

With integrated package with drip Subsidy for planting material and
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to IPM/INM inputs
maximum Rs.1.20 lakh/ ha. Subsidy allotted in 2 splits (75:25)
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost of the unit cost estimated of the
limited to maximum Rs.1.50 lakh/ha. fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
Unit cost: Rs. 87500/ ha. installed.
Without integrated package with drip Additional subsidy given by state
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to government to general category Hrt- –
maximum Rs.0.35 lakh/ ha. 15% and 25% for reserved 2, 3, 4,
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost category. 9, 13,
5) Banana TC limited to maximum Rs.43750 lakh/ha Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 14

Unit cost: Rs.5.50 lakh/ ha.

With integrated package with drip
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
maximum Rs.2.20 lakh/ ha. Subsidy allotted in 2 splits (75:25)
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost of the unit cost estimated of the
limited to maximum Rs.2.75 lakh/ha. fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
Unit cost: Rs. 1.25 lakh/ ha. installed.
Without integrated package with drip Additional subsidy given by state
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to government to general category
maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ ha. 15% and 25% for reserved Hrt-2,
6) Pineapple For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost category. 3, 4, 9,
(TC) limited to maximum Rs.62500 /ha Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.

Papaya

Component Subsidy details Remarks Scheme

Unit cost: Rs.2.00 lakh/ ha.

With integrated package with drip Subsidy allotted in 2 splits (75:25)
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to of the unit cost estimated of the
maximum Rs.0.80 lakh/ ha. fruit crop.
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost New drip irrigation has to be
limited to maximum Rs.1.00 lakh/ha installed.
Additional subsidy given by state
Unit cost: Rs. 60000/ ha. government to general category
Without integrated package with drip 15% and 25% for reserved Hrt- 2,
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to category. 3, 4, 9,
7) Papaya maximum Rs.0.30 lakh/ ha. Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.

Ultra-high density (Meadow orchard)

Component Subsidy details Remarks Scheme

Unit cost: Rs.2.00 lakh/ ha.
With integrated package with drip
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
maximum Rs.0.80 lakh/ ha.
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost
limited to maximum Rs.1.00 lakh/ha
Unit cost: Rs. 1.25 lakh/ ha.
8) Ultra-high Without integrated package with drip
density irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
(Meadow maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ ha and for TSP
orchard) region, 50% of the unit cost limited to
Subsidy for planting material and
IPM/INM inputs
Subsidy allotted in 3 splits
(60:20:20) of the unit cost
estimated of the fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
installed.
Additional subsidy given by state
government to general category
15% and 25% for reserved Hrt- 2,
category. 3, 4, 9,
Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.
 maximum Rs.0.625 lakh/ha.
High density planting (mango, guava, litchi, pomegranate, apple, citrus etc.).
Component Subsidy details
Unit cost: Rs.1.50 lakh/ ha.
With integrated package with drip
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
maximum Rs.0.60 lakh/ ha.
9) High For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost
density limited to maximum Rs.0.75 lakh/ha.
planting
(mango,
guava, litchi, Unit cost: Rs. 1.00 lakh/ ha.
pomegranate, Without integrated package with drip
apple, citrus irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
etc.). maximum Rs.0.40 lakh/ ha and for TSP
Subsidy region, 50% of the unit cost limited to
details maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ha.
Fruit crops other than cost intensive
Component Subsidy details
Unit cost: Rs.1.50 lakh/ ha.
With integrated package with drip
irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
maximum Rs.0.60 lakh/ ha.
For TSP region, 50% of the unit cost
limited to maximum Rs.0.75 lakh/ha.
Fruit crops Unit cost: Rs. 1.00 lakh/ ha.
other than Without integrated package with drip
cost intensive irrigation, 40% of the unit cost limited to
crops using maximum Rs.0.40 lakh/ ha and for TSP
normal region, 50% of the unit cost limited to
spacing maximum Rs.0.50 lakh/ha.
Remarks Scheme
Subsidy for planting material and
IPM/INM inputs
Subsidy allotted in 3 splits
(60:20:20) of the unit cost
estimated of the fruit cropsubject
to survival rate of 75% in 2nd year
and 90% in 3rd year.
New drip irrigation has to be
installed.
Additional subsidy given by state
government to general category
15% and 25% for reserved Hrt- 2,
category. 3, 4, 9,
Area limit maximum up to 4. 13, 14.
Remarks Scheme
Subsidy for planting material and
IPM/INM inputs
Subsidy allotted in 3 splits
(60:20:20) of the unit cost
estimated of the fruit crop.
New drip irrigation has to be
installed.
Additional subsidy given by state
government to general category
15% and 25% for reserved Hrt- 2,
category. 3, 4, 9,
Area limit maximum up to 4 ha. 13, 14.
 Link-8

Dragon Fruit Farm in Sepang: Drop by and purchase some

There’s a dragon fruit farm near Sepang, not far from Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport. It is

called Multi Rich Pitaya, “pitaya” being another name for Dragon Fruit.

Dragon Fruit’s scientific name is Hylocereus derived from the Greek word hyle (meaning

woody), and the Latin word cereus (meaning waxen).

Woody and waxen doesn’t sound particularly appetising but it probably refers to its cactus-like

stems rather than the fruit.

The fruit is thought to have originated in Central America and was introduced into Vietnam by

French missionaries in the 19th century.

Cultivation has since spread to all corners of the tropical world and some Mediterranean climates

like Turkey and Israel, though Vietnam is still the world’s leading exporter.

Types of Dragon Fruit

There are three varieties of Dragon Fruit grown in Malaysia.

• Red skin with red flesh.

• Red skin with white flesh.

• Yellow skin with grey/white flesh

All varieties have edible black seeds, like kiwi seeds but softer.

The yellow sort is not common in Peninsular Malaysia, though it is grown in Sabah.

The white flesh variety is still probably the most common but the red flesh sort are more sought

after (and more expensive) as they taste better.

The white flesh variety can often be rather bland and disappointing.

Multi Rich Pitaya only grows the red variety.

Uses of Red Dragon Fruit

• Best consumed raw, preferably chilled, either by itself or as part of a fruit salad.

• Mixes well with plain yogurt to produce a fantastically coloured dessert.

• Can also be made into juice, smoothies or sorbets.

• They are easy to peel. The skin is inedible but can be processed to make food colouring.

Reputed health benefits

• High fibre content aids digestion and reduces body fat.

• Rich source of vitamin B, C, calcium and phosphorus.

• Improves eyesight.

• Controls hypertension.

• Helps control blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes sufferers.

• Boosts immune system.

• Improves skin conditions.

• Rich in lycopene, thought to help prevent cancer.

• Helps prevent gout and arthritis.

• Reduces cholesterol.

• Low in calories.

If even only half of these claims are true it would seem foolish not to eat it.

Dragon Fruit flowers

The flowers bloom briefly, for one night only. They are large and attractive flowers with a sweet

tropical fragrance when in bloom.

Unopened flower buds can be cooked like vegetables. Dried flowers can be processed to make

tea.

Multi Rich Pitaya Farm

This farm welcomes visitors. You can wander round the farm and buy some fresh dragon fruit in

their basic shop.

The ones you can buy here have been allowed to ripen fully on the vine and taste much sweeter

than those you find in the supermarket.

They also sell a dragon fruit enzyme drink which is a delicious and healthy tonic.

Multi Rich has a family of caged monkeys. The large male monkey doesn’t look happy in that

small cage and it would be better if they were released or rehoused somewhere more suitable.

If you want to visit you can find the contact details and GPS co-ordinates on this photo.