Why Buddha's hand citron is so expensive
Buddha's hand citron is one of the oldest varieties of citrus and its name is derived from its unusual shape, which also resembles a hand position for prayer. Farmers in this Vietnamese town are reaping the financial benefits, but at what cost? And why is it so expensive?
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TechTranscript
00:00 The first thing you notice about this fruit is its shape, from which it gets its name.
00:08 But Buddha's hand citron is much more than an odd-looking fruit.
00:13 It's dominating the economy in this Vietnamese community of Daxo, because of how much farmers
00:19 can make selling it.
00:22 It's estimated that the vast majority of locals earn their living from Buddha's hand.
00:27 And while a single fruit sells for around $8 locally, it can be three times as much abroad.
00:34 The more perfect the fruit, the higher the price.
00:38 But reaching perfection isn't easy.
00:41 These trees have incredibly long branches.
00:45 That means if any of a number of things goes wrong, a whole farm can be irreparably damaged.
01:12 So why do farmers risk their livelihood to grow this fruit?
01:16 And why is it so expensive?
01:19 This is Ba Quet, a farmer in Daxo, Vietnam, a small village 45 minutes outside Hanoi.
01:30 He is one of many farmers in the area supplying these citrons to the capital city.
01:35 [Speaking Vietnamese]
01:38 Unlike lemons or oranges, fingered citron has very little juice.
02:02 It can be eaten, but it has a mild taste.
02:06 The appeal is in its highly flavourful and aromatic rind.
02:16 [Speaking Vietnamese]
02:19 Buddha's hand citrons are incredibly sought after during the mid-autumn festival, known as Tet.
02:42 This is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture.
02:47 The fruits are displayed as an ancestral offering and used in homes to freshen the air.
02:52 This small village will be the lead supplier of these citrons for the event, so demand will be higher than usual.
02:59 Today, Ba Quet and his team are harvesting 300 fruits based on the order of one customer.
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03:13 The festival is the busiest time of year for Ba Quet.
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03:37 Tak Sa is the main provider of Buddha's hand citron for the nationwide event,
03:45 and Ba Quet will sell about three times more than usual.
03:49 Because most of his fruits will be sold at the festival, timing is crucial for Ba Quet.
03:56 His trees need to produce enough fruit on time and grow as big as possible.
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04:48 Ba Quet cannot harvest them all at once.
04:51 The tree naturally stores water in its roots to feed the fruit,
04:55 and a complete harvest would send the tree into water shock.
04:59 This can kill the tree and rot the roots.
05:02 In turn, it would destroy his future harvest and damage the land.
05:07 [Speaking Vietnamese]
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05:15 He also prefers to harvest the fruit in dry weather, like today.
05:28 [Speaking Vietnamese]
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06:00 Overhauling the weight is also helpful to quickly fulfill the orders.
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06:07 After the harvest, he will need to plant the trees in new soil.
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07:03 The Buddha's hand requires lots of attention and care.
07:07 This is Ba Quet's main source of income, so he cannot make any mistakes.
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07:31 Buddha's hand trees grow to about 6 feet tall and start bearing fruit after the 10th year.
07:37 This is one of the reasons the fruit is so expensive compared to a lemon tree,
07:42 which bears fruit after 6 to 12 months.
07:45 [Speaking Vietnamese]
07:59 He also needs to constantly trim the trees and lower the branches to encourage growth.
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08:47 The closer the fruit looks to a hand, the more it can be sold for.
08:51 The fingers are described as beautiful in this stage.
08:55 Generally, a beautiful Buddha's hand is large and round with many even, protruding fingers.
09:01 Ba Quet prefers fruits with shorter fingers.
09:05 [Speaking Vietnamese]
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09:12 Ba Quet's choice is not just aesthetic.
09:24 Since the base is where the fruit stores its essential oils,
09:28 a bigger base means a bigger and stronger scent.
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09:39 Because of these essential oils, Buddha's hands have long been used in Asian medicine,
09:52 although there's no scientific evidence to support how effective it is.
09:56 The fingers expand and open up only when the fruit is ripe,
10:01 but farmers can't control how the fingers are going to behave.
10:05 A single tree can produce multiple fruits with different shapes.
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10:16 A big threat to growing the perfect fruit? Insects.
10:37 When the trees are in bloom, they become very attractive to insects and pests.
10:43 A serious threat is the Asian citrus psyllid, which also destroys citrus as far as the US.
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11:28 After the healthy fruits are harvested, there's still another important step - packaging.
11:34 The fingers break off very easily, so Bac Quyet takes special precautions to protect them.
11:41 [Speaking Vietnamese]
11:54 With this careful wrapping, he can keep the fruits fresh and potent for at least three months.
12:00 [Speaking Vietnamese]
12:20 Bac Quyet has completed today's order, and it's ready to be delivered.
12:25 But it's just the start as he gets ready to sell for the festival,
12:29 not only locally, but for expats honoring their ancestors, as well as new customers all over the world.
12:36 Locally, he sells his fruits for 50,000 to 200,000 Vietnamese dong, about $2 to $8 each.
12:45 But he also sells to international markets.
12:48 [Speaking Vietnamese]
13:14 In the UK, a single-fingered citron costs £25, while in the US, a box of five costs $65.
13:23 Pastry chefs and liquor makers also buy the citron abroad, particularly the dried versions.
13:29 Bac Quyet sells dried Buddha's hand fingers from the less beautiful fruits.
13:33 Traders only pay around $1 per kilogram, but Bac Quyet sells several thousand tons a year.
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