Stories from fruit-bearing orchards - Lang Son Newspaper

- In recent years, Huu Lung district has focused on developing new custard apple varieties such as Thai custard apple, Taiwanese custard apple and durian custard apple. Thanks to high productivity, large and beautiful fruits, and unique flavors, these custard apple varieties are favored by consumers in and outside the province, especially during the Lunar New Year and festival seasons. The success of custard apple gardens not only demonstrates innovation in agriculture but also opens up opportunities to increase income for local people.

Farmers in Yen Son commune, Huu Lung district pack durian custard apples.

In the early days of 2025, when custard apple orchards in other regions have run out of fruit, people prune custard apple trees to save their strength for the next season, in Yen Son and Yen Vuong communes, Huu Lung district, there are many custard apple orchards that still bear fruit, and people take care of the custard apple trees and harvest them for a special season to serve the Lunar New Year.

The custard apple orchard of Mr. Le Duc Hai's family in Bai Danh village, Yen Son commune is an example. These days before Tet, his family's custard apple orchard is lush and green, with many plump fruits weighing from 300 to 700 grams. Carefully wrapping the newly harvested fruit in foam nets and placing them in boxes to prepare for the shipment to the agricultural fair in Hanoi , Mr. Hai shared: In 2019, through research, I learned that the custard apple and Taiwanese custard apple varieties have outstanding size, delicious flavor and are favored by the market, so I boldly experimented with grafting new varieties onto native custard apple roots. With technical support from professional agencies, after a few months, the grafted branches grew strongly, flowered and bore fruit. From a few dozen initial grafted roots, my family now has more than 1,300 custard apple and Taiwanese custard apple trees, of which 1,000 are being harvested, each tree has 20 - 50 fruits.

Similarly, at present, the custard apple garden of Mr. Quach Duong Duy's family (Yen Vuong commune) is also laden with fruit. His family currently has about 300 Thai custard apple and durian custard apple trees that are being harvested, each tree has from 30 to 50 fruits, each fruit weighs from 400 to 800 grams, especially some fruits weigh up to 2.2 kg.

The custard apples are not only big, round, and bright-eyed, but also have a distinctive aroma. It is known that Mr. Duy has persistently applied scientific and technical advances to production. His custard apple garden is equipped with a drip irrigation system, uses processed organic manure for fertilization, and absolutely does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides; the custard apples are pollinated manually, and the fruit is carefully wrapped to avoid pests. Thanks to that, his custard apple garden harvests two crops each year, each crop reaching about 5 tons. The quality and appearance of the fruit are always guaranteed, and all the fruits are consumed as soon as they are harvested.

The story of Mr. Hai and Mr. Duy's family is a testament to the boldness of innovation and application of science and technology to enhance the value of local products.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Huu Lung district, the whole district has about 30 hectares of Thai custard apple, Taiwanese custard apple, durian custard apple, most of which have produced fruit. In order to help farmers quickly access science and technology, master technology and produce according to good agricultural practices, the DARD has proactively researched the biological characteristics of new custard apple varieties; regularly organizes experience learning sessions, training to disseminate techniques for planting, caring for, and cultivating off-season custard apples for people.

In particular, production methods according to GlobalGAP and VietGAP standards are strongly encouraged. Farmers use decomposed manure as base fertilizer, regularly prune branches and leaves, apply biological products to prevent pests and diseases, and wrap fruit to ensure quality. Thanks to these efforts, farmers can proactively cultivate and adjust the trees to bear fruit from November (solar calendar) to February of the following year - a time when fruit is scarce on the market. This not only ensures stable output but also helps increase income and helps the Huu Lung custard apple brand become increasingly known and used by many customers.

The story from custard apple orchards in Huu Lung not only reflects the change in agricultural thinking but also symbolizes the desire to rise from the homeland. The delicious, fruit-laden custard apples not only bring a sustainable source of income to farmers but also open up opportunities to bring local products further, contributing to enhancing the position of Lang Son province's agricultural products in particular and Vietnamese agricultural products in general in the market. With a spirit of innovation and determination, Huu Lung people are sowing hope for a modern agriculture. Today's sweet custard apple seasons are not only a source of pride but also a testament to the strong vitality of the land and people here.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/vuon-na-mua-tet-cau-chuyen-tu-nhung-goc-cay-dom-trai-ngot-5035427.html