Ea Knuếc enters durian season.

After the expansion of its administrative boundaries, Ea Knuếc commune now spans a fertile basaltic red soil region, ideal for cultivating fruit trees and long-term industrial crops. Of this, durian cultivation alone accounts for over 50% of the commune's total agricultural land, with 29 designated export-oriented growing areas.

Harvesting Dona durians in Ea Knuếc commune. Photo: Đức Hoàng

The majority of durian farmers in Ea Knuếc commune have extensive experience in durian cultivation, applying many advanced scientific and technical solutions to production, proactively meeting the increasingly high demands of domestic and international markets. Despite unfavorable weather conditions in the 2025 crop year, farmers are still striving to adapt and adhere to safe and sustainable production standards.

The family of Mr. Huong Van Loi (Thanh Xuan village) currently owns 3.5 hectares of Dona durian, of which 2.5 hectares are cultivated according to VietGAP standards of the Krong Pac Clean Agriculture Cooperative. It is expected that within the next 5-10 days, when the first ripe fruits fall from the trees, traders will inspect and assess the quality of the flesh and appearance to determine the purchase price. Mr. Loi estimates that this year's harvest yield will be nearly one-third lower than last year due to weather conditions, but he is quite confident about the quality thanks to adhering to the correct technical procedures, ensuring no pesticide residue or heavy metals remain in the durian fruit at harvest.

Sorting durians at the production warehouse of Nam Do Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company.

For durian purchasing businesses, ensuring quality requirements is crucial in their production and business operations. For example, Nam Do Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company (headquartered in Quyet Thang village) has established eight cultivation zones with farmers, covering nearly 500 hectares of durian in Ea Knuec commune. Besides coordinating the monitoring of quality management and traceability requirements for export markets, the company also conducts fruit sampling and testing for cadmium residue and other pesticides just before the peak season. The test results show that all criteria are within safe limits according to domestic and international regulations.

Local authorities have proactively implemented solutions to promote awareness and inspect and control the production, procurement, and preliminary processing of durian in the area. The People's Committee of Ea Knuếc commune has established two inter-agency teams to inspect land use, construction order, environmental resources; planting area codes, packaging facility codes, and durian business activities in the area. According to Mr. Truong Van Hieu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ea Knuếc commune, the local government's stance is to create the most favorable conditions for the production and sale of durian by people and businesses during the harvest season, but with strict adherence to relevant legal regulations, ensuring the authenticity of goods, effective pest management, and food safety for durian before it reaches consumers both domestically and internationally.

According to preliminary statistics, there are approximately 60 businesses and warehouses involved in the purchase and production of durian in Ea Knuếc commune. To date, inter-agency teams established by the commune's People's Committee have inspected the records and operating conditions of all newly constructed warehouses; monitored and reviewed existing warehouses in the area; and widely disseminated information on regulations in the fields of occupational safety, fire prevention and control, and environmental protection. The teams also documented several cases that did not comply with land use regulations, requiring business owners to promptly rectify the situation in accordance with the law.

In reality, durian purchasing and processing activities in Ea Knuếc commune started about two months ago with early-ripening durian varieties, mainly Musangking. For Dona and Ri6 durian varieties, traders have begun assessing the quality of the flesh and fruit to negotiate prices and place deposits with orchard owners. Purchasing and processing facilities are also ready to operate at maximum capacity as the peak season begins.

The inter-agency inspection team of Ea Knuếc commune worked at the production warehouse of Tai Wang International Agricultural Products Trading Co., Ltd.

Tai Wang International Agricultural Products Trading Co., Ltd. (Tan Binh village) has two warehouses for packing and freezing whole durians and separated durian segments right on the frontage of National Highway 26. Mr. Doan Cong Minh, the company's director, said that during peak harvest season, the company purchases and processes up to 200-300 tons per day and employs over 400 seasonal workers, mainly local laborers.

Over the past period, the company has been inspected and educated by the local authorities and has always been highly conscious of complying with commitments regarding security, traffic safety, and environmental hygiene. Accordingly, loading and unloading of goods is mainly carried out in the evening, and vehicles are parked neatly to avoid traffic congestion. Workers are educated and guided on principles of occupational safety and food hygiene, and work shifts are organized rationally. All waste generated during the production process, especially durian peels, is collected and processed daily by a contracted unit in accordance with regulations.

Members of the inter-agency team from the People's Committee of the commune inspected the operations of Nam Do Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company.

As for Nam Do Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company, environmental sanitation is also a priority for the enterprise. According to Mr. Le Viet Truong, Deputy Director of the company, after 3 years of operation in the area, the company has allocated a separate plot of land to collect and process durian peels. All durian peels generated each day are initially processed by grinding them into small pieces, sprinkling them with lime and probiotics. After the durian peels decompose into organic fertilizer, the company will supply it to farmers who need it to improve their soil.

Besides strengthening inspections and supervision of business operations, the People's Committee of the commune also directed the police force to increase patrols and ensure traffic safety on village and hamlet roads. At the same time, they deployed numerous security checkpoints to respond quickly to reports from the people; proactively prevented acts of property destruction, theft, extortion, price manipulation, and stall breaking; intensified propaganda to traders and farmers to comply with regulations on buying, selling, and deposits; promoted self-prevention and self-management; and ensured the best conditions for a safe and successful durian harvest in 2025.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202508/ea-knuec-vao-vu-sau-rieng-0260d92/