Billions in profit thanks to 'rich man's' plum trees

Soc Trang A farmer in Cu Lao Dung earns more than 1 billion VND per year, thanks to growing the MST pink plum variety with large, crunchy, sweet and low-juice fruit.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhut (47 years old) in An Thanh 1 commune, Cu Lao Dung district ( Soc Trang province) is a pioneer in successfully growing MST pink plum, bringing in billions of dong in revenue each year.

Before sticking with this plum variety, Mr. Nhut had 15 years of experience growing red-fleshed dragon fruit. However, the output became increasingly unstable, forcing him to find a new direction.

Growing MST pink plum, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhut earns over 1 billion VND in profit each year. Photo: Kim Anh.

Four years ago, on a chance occasion to enjoy MST pink plums, Mr. Nhut realized that this variety of tree had outstanding potential thanks to its large, crunchy, sweet, fragrant and water-less fruit. Taking advantage of the existing garden ditch system, he cut down the dragon fruit, improved the soil, and invested in planting 150 MST pink plum trees, on a scale of 3,000m2.

According to Mr. Nhut, MST pink plum requires higher cultivation techniques than other plum varieties. For the tree to grow well, gardeners must raise the beds so that the roots do not get waterlogged. In addition, controlling the number of fruits is also very important. If there are too many fruits, the tree will not be able to support them, the fruits will be small and of poor quality.

In addition, he invested 100 million VND to build a greenhouse system, helping the plum garden significantly reduce harmful fruit flies and save 30-40% of pesticides.

Inside the greenhouse, he designed two irrigation systems, including hose irrigation during the period when the plants need a lot of water and automatic irrigation at the base to support fertilization. This combination helps the plants grow healthily and produce high-quality fruit.

MST pink plum can bear fruit all year round. Photo: Kim Anh.

Another important step is the net covering and fruit selection. If not covered in time, the fruit can easily crack, become waterlogged and affect the quality. These technical requirements require the gardener to be meticulous in every step.

“Fruits the size of a fingertip, if the beard falls off, must be covered immediately. If not done properly, the fruit can easily be bitten by fruit flies,” Mr. Nhut shared.

MST pink plums bear fruit all year round, but are concentrated in two main seasons. On average, from flowering to harvest is about 105 days. Each plum tree produces about 100kg of fruit per year, with the weight of grade 1 standard fruit being 6-7 fruits/kg (equivalent to about 130g/fruit).

Currently, traders buy MST pink plums at the garden for 80,000-100,000 VND/kg, and if sold retail, it can be up to 120,000 VND/kg. During the purchasing process, traders will use a sugar meter, and if it reaches over 11%, they will import the goods.

Each MST pink plum tree can produce about 100kg of fruit/year. Photo: Kim Anh.

In 2024, his plum garden yielded 16 tons, after deducting expenses, he earned more than 1 billion VND in profit, not including income from selling seedlings. Since the beginning of the year, Mr. Nhut has sold 1,000 seedlings and is preparing for an order of up to 5,000 seedlings.

MST pink plum products are currently being supplied by Mr. Nhut at markets in the province and some high-end fruit stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho City, Tra Vinh . However, due to limited planting scale, MST pink plum products still cannot meet the demand of traders and businesses.

Cu Lao Dung district currently has over 50 hectares of MST pink plum. Mr. Nguyen Van Dac - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Cu Lao Dung district commented that MST pink plum is the agricultural product with the highest economic value in the locality.

MST pink plum has stable price over the years because supply cannot meet demand. Photo: Kim Anh.

Particularly in Dai An 1 commune, MST pink plum has been certified as a 3-star OCOP product. Thong Minh Agricultural Cooperative (Dai An 1 commune) is carrying out procedures to recognize the parent variety in the district. In addition, some plum gardeners are also planning to develop an experiential tourism model in MST pink plum gardens.

"Currently, there are businesses that have cooperated to export MST pink plums to the EU, Taiwan (China) and the Middle East," said Mr. Nguyen Van Dac - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Cu Lao Dung district.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/lai-tien-ty-nho-cay-man-nha-giau-d743186.html