Entrepreneurial Journey
Taking us to visit the Tu Quy mango garden with an area of nearly 3 hectares, preparing for the second harvest in Kien Phuoc village, Ai Tu commune, Mr. Dien said that he was born and raised in Khanh Hoa province, a land famous for Cam Lam mangoes.
With the desire to establish a long-term career in Quang Tri province, realizing that the land and climate conditions in Trieu Ai commune (now Ai Tu commune) are quite similar to Cam Lam area, in 2020, he decided to invest nearly 900 million VND to buy 2.8 hectares of land for growing acacia and cajuput from local people; spend another nearly 500 million VND to level the ground, install an automatic irrigation system and dig holes, and plant more than 1,200 Tu Quy mango trees.
After 3 years of care, the mango garden yielded its first harvest in 2024, with a yield of more than 10 tons, bringing in nearly 200 million VND. At this point, he is preparing to harvest the second batch of mangoes with an expected yield of 60-70 tons. Notably, the product is fully purchased by the enterprise at a price of 19,000-20,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, the estimated profit is about 1 billion VND.
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| The 2.8-hectare Tu Quy mango garden of Mr. Vo Thanh Dien in Kien Phuoc village, Ai Tu commune - Photo: LA |
Mr. Dien said that the origin of the name "Tu Quy" is because this mango variety has the ability to flower and bear fruit all year round, without a fixed season. Thanks to that, growers can adjust the harvest season accordingly to achieve the highest economic efficiency. This mango variety is also notable for its ability to flower and bear fruit easily, has few pests and diseases, and adapts well to many types of soil and climate conditions.
Large fruit size, average from 0.4-0.6 kg/fruit, with good care can reach from 0.7-0.8 kg/fruit; fruit flesh is abundant, up to 75%-80% of fruit weight, thin, small seeds, little fiber, has a characteristic sweet taste, very popular in the market. Stable yield, with good care can reach from 20-25 tons/ha.
New direction for local farmers
According to Mr. Dien's experience, Tu Quy mango grows best on alluvial soil, light loam soil and needs proactive irrigation water. Trees are planted 5m apart. Each hole is fertilized with 20-30kg of decomposed manure combined with 0.5kg of phosphate fertilizer and 0.2kg of lime powder mixed well with the soil.
Seedlings are 60-80cm tall, have strong stems and show no signs of pests or diseases. The basic construction stage from year 1 to year 3 focuses mainly on developing a balanced canopy frame and pruning branches. Fertilize fully and balance NPK and trace elements, water adequately, especially during the dry season. From year 4 onwards, it is necessary to focus on managing flowering, fruit set, and regulating yield. Fertilize at the right time and dosage, especially adding potassium and calcium to increase fruit quality; treat flowering with technical measures to diversify harvest times.
To avoid overlapping harvests with Cam Lam mangoes, in early March, he began to treat the buds to flower for harvest in August. To make the mangoes large, he only left about 150 fruits per tree. After about 40 days of fruit set, the mangoes reached the size of a thumb. He used specialized bags or newspapers to cover the fruit, avoiding insects such as bees and fruit flies from biting and causing damage, and creating beautiful, even colors for the fruit.
In addition, instead of intervening to make the Tu Quy mangoes flower and bear fruit at different times of the year in the same garden, he focused on treating them to flower and bear fruit simultaneously and harvest them all at once. Then he focused on pruning, fertilizing, and caring for them to restore the health of the trees.
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| Mr. Vo Thanh Dien next to his Tu Quy mango garden - Photo: LA |
Tu Quy mango is harvested 90-100 days after fruit set, the skin is green and turns light yellow at the stem. According to Mr. Dien, this mango variety has a unique flavor that changes with each stage of fruit development. When green, the mango has a slightly sour, slightly sweet taste, the flesh is crispy and firm. When ripe, it brings a completely different experience. The flesh turns a beautiful orange-yellow color, is smooth but still retains a certain firmness, has little fiber, has a rich sweetness and especially a characteristic strong aroma that spreads as soon as it is cut.
According to Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Ai Tu Commune, Dang Quang Anh, the Tu Quy mango growing model is the first model in the commune. Through monitoring, it can be affirmed that the Tu Quy mango variety is very suitable for the local soil, has a stable output, and brings economic efficiency many times higher than that of production forest planting.
In the immediate future, some neighboring households have come to learn from experience and grow mangoes in their gardens. With the advantage of more than 7,800 hectares of planted forests in the whole commune, the locality will have solutions to encourage and create conditions for households to change crops and increase income.
At the same time, support growers in finding markets, forming product consumption chains to avoid traders forcing down prices during harvest; coordinate with specialized agencies in guiding production according to VietGAP and organic processes... so that products meet standards.
Le An
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202509/khoi-nghiep-tu-giong-xoai-tu-quy-5036093/
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