Getting rich from the purple sim fruit of my hometown.

The myrtle tree is becoming a promising crop for many farmers in Tran Hung Dao ward, offering them a chance to prosper.

Stable income

Mr. Nguyen Van Thao (born in 1970) is one of the pioneers in growing myrtle in Tran Hung Dao ward. In 2016, he and his wife, Ms. Pham Thi Chin, decided to invest in more than 2 hectares of land to establish an myrtle garden.

Initially, many were skeptical because it was a wild plant, and few thought it could become an economic crop. But after nearly 10 years, time has proven that decision to be correct.

The sim fruit season begins in June of the lunar calendar and lasts for more than two months. On average, Mr. Thao's family harvests over 50 kg of fruit per day. With the current selling price of around 40,000 VND/kg, on peak days, Mr. Thao earns up to tens of millions of VND from selling sim fruit after deducting labor costs. Thanks to this success, his family has begun considering expanding the area or converting their mixed-crop garden land to sim fruit cultivation.

"Myrtle is a plant that is rarely affected by pests and diseases, and hardly requires any pesticides. After harvesting, only organic fertilizer is needed to help the plant recover. As a result, the product is safe and consumers trust it," Mr. Thao shared.

Besides providing economic value, growing myrtle also helps to effectively utilize hilly land. The plant grows vigorously, requires little care, and is suitable for the labor conditions of farmers.

Thanks to the myrtle garden, Mr. Thao's family has a solid source of savings, ensuring a stable life.

Opening a new path

Mr. Thao's family's success has motivated many households in the neighborhood to follow suit. Among them is Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh's family, who currently cultivate nearly 5 acres of myrtle.

Mr. Vung said: "Growing myrtle doesn't cost much, and the results are quite good. My family has a smaller plot of land, but we still get a significant additional income, especially during the peak season. I think this model is suitable for many households with little land; if they utilize it, they'll reap the rewards."

During the sim fruit ripening season, sim fruit growers can earn a direct and stable income from harvesting and selling fresh sim fruit.

Mr. Vung also shared that all the harvested sim fruit is sold directly from the garden at a stable price. The biggest advantage is that sim fruit has a ready market; customers often place orders in advance, so it's almost "sold as soon as it's harvested," eliminating concerns about sales like with many other agricultural products.

Furthermore, since the Dong Viet bridge road was built through the area, many households have begun to consider developing experiential tourism services, combining sightseeing, picking sim fruit, and enjoying products made from sim fruit right in the garden.

Myrtle growers also hope to develop experiential tourism from their myrtle gardens.

The model of growing myrtle in An Linh is still new, so there are no specific statistics on yield or average income. However, according to Mr. Le Thanh Son, Secretary of the An Linh Neighborhood Party Branch, the economic benefits of myrtle cultivation are quite clear, as it is a long-lived plant that produces more fruit over time .

Currently, the entire residential area has 5 households growing myrtle berries, with a total area of over 4 hectares. This area is not large compared to other fruit trees, but it opens up a new direction because myrtle berries are suitable for the soil and climate and bring clear economic benefits.

Mr. Son believes that if sim fruit cultivation is linked to the development of experiential tourism and deep processing such as sim wine, syrup, or jam, the economic value will certainly increase even further. In the coming time, the Party branch and residential group will encourage households to expand the cultivation area.

In the future, with technical support and market connections, the sim tree (Myrtle) could become a signature product of An Linh. If a production and consumption chain is established and the An Linh purple sim tree is registered for the "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program, it will have a clear brand, higher value, and reach markets both within and outside the city.

From what seemed like abandoned land, lush gardens of purple myrtle have now sprung up, yielding sweet fruit and opening up a sustainable path to wealth for farmers in Tran Hung Dao ward.

Mr. Thao's story, along with the support of many households like Mr. Vinh and the cooperation of the government, is showing a new prospect: the myrtle tree is not just a childhood memory but has truly become an economic crop, contributing to changing the face of the homeland.

DO TUAN

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/giau-len-tu-sim-tim-que-nha-520787.html