"Billion dollar tree" massively drops young fruit after rain, farmers worried

(Dan Tri) - After unseasonal rains, flowers and young fruits of durian trees in Lam Dong fell off in large numbers, causing farmers to worry. Many gardens recorded an impact rate of up to 50%.

In recent days, durian growers in Ha Lam commune, Da Huoai district, Lam Dong have been "sitting on hot coals" because the plants are in the flowering and fruit development stages and are affected by the weather.

According to the locals, from mid-February to the end of March every year, durian trees in the locality have 3 flowering and fruiting periods. The first period is at the end of February, the second period is around the first 10 days of March and the third period is around the end of March. The dry weather is the ideal condition for durian to flower and bear fruit.

A durian tree of Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh Diep's family had almost all of its flowers and young fruits fall off after the rain (Photo: Minh Hau).

The family of Mr. Bui Quang Trung, in Ha Lam commune, has 8 hectares of durian. "In mid-March, the locality experienced unseasonal rains, causing the first batch of young fruit and the second batch of flowers to fall off in droves. We suffered damage but we didn't know how to save it," Mr. Trung shared.

In Ha Lam commune, Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh Diep is one of the long-time durian growers with experience in tree care. However, with the unfavorable weather in recent days, this farmer has had to give up.

Farmers are "sitting on hot coals" when durian fruit falls off after the rain ( Video : Minh Hau).

"The damage rate due to the weather this time is very severe. Now, the family hopes for the last flower crop of the month, but the weather has changed so we are very worried," said Mr. Diep.

Mr. Phan Quang Thuc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Lam commune, said that unseasonal rain in mid-March seriously affected people's durian production.

Young durian fruit falling after the rain makes people worried (Photo: Khanh Hong).

"Preliminary statistics show that 50% of durian areas have lost flowers and young fruits after the rain. Many gardens have a rate of up to 50% of flowers and young fruits falling off. This seriously affects the productivity and quality of agricultural products," Mr. Thuc shared.

According to Mr. Phan Quang Thuc, in previous years, durian production was less affected by unseasonal rains, and the fruit set rate was high, so farmers had a choice. Accordingly, each season, people would cut off the fruits with bad appearance and focus on growing beautiful fruits to increase their value.

"For this year's crop, farmers can only hope for the last flower bloom in March, so choosing like in previous years is very difficult," Mr. Thuc shared.

Durian flowers and fruits falling after rain seriously affect productivity (Photo: Khanh Hong).

Currently, the People's Committee of Ha Lam commune is coordinating with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Da Huoai district to guide people to take care and supplement nutrition measures to ensure flowering and fruiting at the end of March.

It is known that Ha Lam commune has more than 2,300 hectares of durian, of which more than 1,800 hectares are in the commercial period. The development of durian in Ha Lam commune helps many families earn billions of dong each year.

Durian has now risen to the position of "king of fruits" in Vietnam, joining the "billion-dollar" agricultural product group, bringing in an export value of about 3.2 billion USD in 2024.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/cay-ty-do-o-at-rung-trai-non-sau-mua-nong-dan-lo-lang-20250317102814151.htm