Sowing sweet organic fruits in the middle of the forest

Coming to Mang Den commune, Quang Ngai province (Mang Den town, Kon Plong district, old Kon Tum province), if you are bored with visiting greenhouses and net houses - a place that combines demonstration of farming technology and selling agricultural products, we can think of another option that has a more "wild" quality.

It is a completely natural agricultural model - a place that brings majestic landscapes, fresh agricultural products and inspiring stories...

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT BRAND UNDER THE FOREST CANOPY

Mr. Nguyen Quang Dong’s 40 hectares of fruit trees are affectionately called “Hai Dong Orange Garden” by the locals. Located quite far from the center of Mang Den commune, with no phone signal, but with a strange attraction, tourists still find their way to the garden through a narrow, winding, and steep dirt road.

Phuong Ly, a tourist from Hanoi who just visited the garden, shared: “By chance, while going to the supermarket, I saw the oranges for sale with a strange color with a dark yellow, shiny black skin, so I bought some to try. The oranges tasted sweet and cool, and each fruit had a QR code on it; I was curious and scanned it and found information about the garden. I set a goal to visit this orange garden when I came to Mang Den and today I did it. Although it is out of season, coming here, admiring the scenery and especially watching the uncles and aunts take care of the trees is also a very interesting experience.”

If you don’t see it with your own eyes, it’s hard to imagine an orange garden perched precariously, nestled in the heart of high mountains, under the canopy of a hundred-year-old forest, creating a special ecosystem. The oranges are sheltered by tall trees, while the ancient forests are cared for and protected by the hands of farmers themselves.

Welcoming guests from far away, the garden owner, farmer over 70 years old Nguyen Quang Dong (Hai Dong) warmly said: "Do you think the garden is beautiful? Green and lush, right?"

The garden’s orange variety is the Ben Tre orange. However, when grown at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level, the oranges have become different. The eyes of the elderly farmer sparkle with pride: “Here the climate is mild, the sun and wind seem to crystallize in the oranges, so the oranges are very delicious. When squeezed, the juice is dark, thick and very sweet. That is the reason why for many years we have not been able to harvest enough for the market.”

These days, walking around the garden, visitors are delighted by the chirping sounds of birds and the sound of branches being cut and pruned. Ms. Tran Thi Dao, one of Mr. Hai Dong's close associates, nimbly pruned the branches while confiding to the group of visitors: "The birds love to come here because our garden does not use chemicals or fertilizers, everything is natural. When the birds come, they not only make a pleasant sound but also help catch insects very effectively."

According to Ms. Dao, each year, gardeners collect about 100 tons of dry leaves to mix with fermented peanut oil and fertilize orange trees. This is an organic fertilizer that creates a natural source of nutrients for plants, thereby creating a unique flavor and helping oranges under the “Hai Dong” brand pass strict “tests” to meet organic standards and supply to the market.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Dong continued: “The output of 130 tons per year with a revenue of more than 3 billion VND does not make me as proud as the fact that the garden produces oranges that meet such high standards. And more importantly, I have created an ecological garden model that helps people blend into nature.”

INSPIRATION FROM THE STARTUP STORY OF AN OLD FARMER

Mr. Nguyen Quang Dong set foot on Mang Den land nearly 20 years ago: "I am originally from Hung Yen, a veteran of the war against American imperialism, living in Ho Chi Minh City, and only came here to start a business after retiring."

Mr. Dong laughed because the two words "start-up" are usually reserved for young people. However, with a great love for the Central Highlands, for crops and the desire to continue to contribute, he wrote a new chapter of his life: "My philosophy of life is: Work all your life, work all your life. When I started building this orange garden, it was a start-up. For me, nothing is too late, there is no time too late to start, the most important thing is to have enough determination to start."

The determination of the farmer, who is over 70 years old, was evident in the first 10 years of his entrepreneurial journey, which was filled with trials and failures. Recalling those days, Mr. Dong's voice dropped: "This garden was once covered with about 100,000 coffee trees, then the price of coffee dropped dramatically, and in 2015, I cut down all 100,000 coffee trees..., then experimented with planting 3 new types of trees: avocado, grapefruit and orange. Cutting them down and replanting them caused me to lose tens of billions of dong."

The three new crops grew together under Mr. Dong’s careful observation and evaluation. While the avocado tree failed to bear fruit regularly and the grapefruit produced low-quality fruit, the orange tree not only grew well but also “cooperated very well” with natural farming methods.

The old farmer continued his story: “After finding the right crop, I faced another challenge, which was water. The Central Highlands is often thirsty during the dry season, but fortunately we have a natural reservoir here, however, this reservoir is on top of a mountain, 100m higher than the garden.”

For many people, bringing irrigation water from the top of a mountain is a somewhat dreamy story. However, for Mr. Dong, it is simply a must-do. A water conduit was built, with many pipes welded straight into the vertical mountainside.

Pointing to his historic project, Mr. Dong was moved: “I invested 4 billion VND in this project, all borrowed money with high interest rates. I dared to borrow because I was sure it would be successful. With my determination and what I have experienced, there is no reason to fail.”

Working a few meters each day and persevering without stopping, after 3 years, the 10 km long pipeline was formed, becoming the "backbone" providing irrigation and drainage water for 40 hectares of crops.

“Determination is the most important factor. Tourists coming here will see lush orange gardens and a project that delivers 2,000 cubic meters of water per day. As for me, I see a lot of determination,” Mr. Hai Dong shared as he walked back from the lake.

Today, the sweet fruit of that determined farmer has truly come, Hai Dong organic orange products have become an agricultural brand of Mang Den land and the orange garden is now a support, a place that brings a stable source of income for dozens of local workers. More and more people are coming to Hai Dong Orange Garden. And certainly, that is also an important motivation for farmers like Mr. Nguyen Quang Dong to explore and strive to become "organic farmers" in the new era.

PHAN HAI TUNG LAM

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/geo-trai-ngot-huu-co-giua-dai-ngan-382694.html