One early winter day, we visited Mr. Luong Trung Lap’s house. Still agile and smiling, he took us to visit the dragon fruit garden, enthusiastically telling stories about the tree that he considered the special “fate” of his life.
Looking at the vast purple dragon fruit garden today, few people would believe that more than 10 years ago, this place was just an ineffective rice field. In 2014, when the purple dragon fruit was still unfamiliar in the area, thanks to learning through television and newspapers, Mr. Lap had the idea of bringing this new crop to his hometown.
“At that time, I was also afraid - afraid that if I didn't succeed, I would run out of capital. But I thought if I didn't try, I would never know for the rest of my life whether this land was suitable or not" - Mr. Lap laughed. Thinking and doing, he boldly borrowed 200 million VND, combined with his family's capital, and decided to convert 4,000 m² of rice land to grow dragon fruit.
In the early days of erecting each concrete pillar and stringing each seedling, many people said he was “reckless”. But he believed in his own perseverance.
Up to now, Mr. Lap is taking care of 3,000 purple-fleshed dragon fruit trees on 600 concrete pillars. According to him, this type of dragon fruit only needs to be planted once but can be harvested within 20-25 years, each year giving more than 20 batches of fruit. With a selling price of about 20-30 thousand VND/kg depending on the time, the average annual income is about more than 100 million VND.
Purple dragon fruit is fragrant, sweet, easy to consume, and is sought out by traders right at the garden. Over the years, Mr. Lap's dragon fruit garden has become a place for many households in and outside the province to visit and learn from.
“We have to fertilize every year, and take care of it right after each harvest. Dragon fruit trees are easy to grow, but if not taken care of regularly, they will become stunted, have small fruit, and poor quality,” said Mr. Lap, his hands quickly cutting off old branches.
Along with growing dragon fruit, taking advantage of the remaining land area, he dug a pond to raise fish, raised free-range chickens, and raised bees for honey to increase his income. Mr. Lap confided: “When I was still healthy, I also raised porcupines, raised French pigeons, raised pigs… tried everything. Now I am old, I can’t do much anymore, but I still have to try to maintain the dragon fruit model, both to support the family economy and to create jobs for people!”
Not only famous for his good economic performance, Mr. Lap is also known as a prestigious person in the Thai community in Sang Dom, where more than 80% of the population is Thai. In meetings, he always propagates people to implement the Party's policies and the State's policies well. In the new rural construction movement, he not only mobilizes people to donate land for road construction but also takes the lead in contributions, creating trust for people to follow. Therefore, according to Mr. Lap: If you want people to listen, you have to do it first.
As a prestigious person among ethnic minorities, he is always present in meetings, reconciliation sessions and general affairs of the neighborhood. At the same time, he is especially interested in preserving the national cultural identity. Thanks to his understanding of Thai culture, he always contributes ideas and builds to preserve traditional features in local festivals and art programs. He also actively encourages people to practice a civilized lifestyle, building an increasingly prosperous and fulfilling life.
Mr. Lap confided: “To be a prestigious person, first of all, your family must be peaceful. Your children must be harmonious and live in order so that the villagers will trust you.” Currently, his children all have stable jobs. His family has been awarded the title of “Outstanding Cultural Family” for many years. He has also been continuously commended by all levels for his outstanding achievements in the patriotic emulation movement.
In his story, Mr. Lap never admitted that he had done anything great. For him, everything was just small things, if he could help people, he would help, if he could contribute to the community, he would be willing to contribute. However, for the people of Sang Dom, that simplicity and dedication is what made him a strong spiritual support for the community.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/guong-sang-o-sang-dom-post887157.html
Comment (0)