Golden melon on the plateau

Promoting the potential and advantages of developing high-tech agriculture, Moc Chau is always the leading locality in accessing new plant varieties, providing productivity, quality and economic efficiency. Currently, in Moc Chau district, the Happy 6 yellow melon variety (yellow melon) is being tested, providing the market with sweet, fragrant and high-value melons.

Visiting DooHo Moc Chau Farm in Lun village, Muong Sang commune, right at the time of harvesting yellow melons. Standing out in the modern greenhouse system are rows of yellow melons laden with fruit, looking very eye-catching. More interestingly, the owner of this model is Mr. Park DooHo, a farmer from South Korea.

The farm has 2 greenhouses of about ^10,000m2 , roofed with transparent nylon film, surrounded by insect-proof nets, inside there is an electric lighting system, ventilation, automatic drip irrigation system using Korean technology... From this model, Mr. Park DooHo can grow 2 crops each year. With the current area of about 1 hectare, each year the farm can harvest 30 tons of fruit, selling for more than 1 billion VND.

Model of growing yellow melon in greenhouse of DooHo Moc Chau Farm.

Mr. Park DooHo said: I used to be a farmer specializing in growing strawberries in Korea. When I went to Moc Chau for tourism, I found the climate and soil very suitable for agricultural development. Introduced and supported by the Central Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute of Vietnam with techniques for growing yellow melons, I decided to rent land to grow them. Initially, my model was quite successful, bringing high economic profits.

DooHo Moc Chau Farm is creating jobs for 6 local workers, with an average income of 6 million VND/person/month. From simple farmers, after a year, they have learned to apply high technology in agriculture, from adjusting temperature, light, humidity, taking care of plants...

Mr. Dinh Tuan Anh, technical officer of DooHo Moc Chau Farm, informed: The model of growing melons on substrates in greenhouses is the first model in Moc Chau. The advantage of this model is to maximize the nutrients in the substrate and ensure the necessary temperature, creating the best conditions for the growth of melons.

The yellow melons are grown on substrate in the greenhouse.

The yellow melon has a growing period of 70-80 days. The melon is oval-shaped, weighs approximately 400-500 grams/fruit, has a bright yellow skin, is crispy and sweet; and is supplied on the market at an average price of about 45-50 thousand VND/kg. This melon variety is suitable for a variety of regions, such as: Red River Delta, Northern Midlands and Mountains, North Central, South Central Coast. In particular, the plant not only grows well in greenhouses and net houses but can also be grown en masse in the fields. Therefore, this is a new opportunity, opening up many prospects for Moc Chau farmers in economic development.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Thinh, Deputy Head of the Vegetable and Spice Plants Department, Central Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, shared: Happy 6 yellow melon was bred and selected by scientists at the Institute from Korean melon varieties. The Institute cooperated with DooHo Moc Chau Farm to deploy a pilot model of growing yellow melon in Lun village, Muong Sang commune from 2023. We have built a pilot yellow melon model in Moc Chau with an area of nearly 2 hectares, the plants are growing very well. Since this is a new crop, in the coming time, we will mobilize farmers to develop this model, and at the same time, we will support varieties and transfer science and technology to farmers.

Workers at DooHo Moc Chau Farm harvest yellow melons.

Thanks to the support of the Central Institute of Vegetables and Fruits, after a year of experimental planting, the model of yellow melon grown on substrate in greenhouses in Moc Chau has confirmed its suitability to the climate and soil of this land and initially brought high economic value to growers.

Currently, the yellow melon growing model is being replicated on 20 hectares, mainly concentrated in Dong Sang and Muong Sang communes, of which about 10 hectares have been and are being produced using high technology. Yellow melon grown in greenhouses and membrane houses can produce 2-3 crops of melons/year; on average, 1 hectare yields about 30 tons/year with a selling price of about 45-50 thousand VND/kg in the garden.

Golden melons are carefully inspected, labeled and packed for sale.

The high economic efficiency of the golden melon growing model has opened up a new direction in economic development for the people, contributing to the diversification of agricultural products in Moc Chau district. At the same time, it creates new quality products, serving consumer needs associated with agricultural eco-tourism experiences.

Viet Anh - Duy Tung

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