Following its success in producing and selling organic custard apples, the Minh Trung Cooperative (Tay Ninh) is now producing organic custard apples to develop tourism .
Following its success in producing and selling organic custard apples, the Minh Trung Cooperative in Tay Ninh is now producing organic custard apples to develop tourism.
The custard apple orchard is cultivated entirely using organic methods by Minh Trung Cooperative. Photo: Son Trang .
Minh Trung Agricultural Service Cooperative (Minh Trung Cooperative) in Tan Hung commune, Tan Chau district, Tay Ninh province is a large-scale cooperative specializing in the production of custard apple (Annona squamosa) – a specialty of Tay Ninh province. Currently, the cooperative has over 600 hectares of custard apple orchards. Thanks to production according to safety standards, for many years, Minh Trung Cooperative's custard apples have always had a stable market and have been exported abroad.
In recent years, Minh Trung Cooperative has been gradually shifting towards organic custard apple production. According to Mr. Le Minh Trung, Director of Minh Trung Cooperative, the cooperative has converted over 30 hectares of custard apple orchards to production using primarily organic fertilizers, biological pesticides, and biological methods to control certain pests that are currently difficult to manage (such as mealybugs and thrips).
Despite being produced organically, the custard apples from Minh Trung Cooperative still achieve high yields and quality, even higher than when produced using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Specifically, a custard apple orchard produced using conventional methods yields about 5 tons per season, but an orchard of the same size produced organically yields up to 12 tons per season. Mr. Trung explains that when producing organically, the soil in the orchard is greatly improved in terms of looseness, helping the tree's root system develop well, thus increasing yield and making the fruit more attractive.
Furthermore, for the past three months, Minh Trung Cooperative has converted 2 hectares of custard apple orchards to completely organic farming, using absolutely no chemical fertilizers or pesticides throughout the entire cultivation process.
Using organic products in custard apple cultivation at Minh Trung Cooperative. Photo: Son Trang .
Mr. Le Minh Trung shared that growing custard apples completely organically is very difficult because currently available biological pesticides are not yet effective in controlling two harmful insects: mealybugs and thrips. Therefore, the Minh Trung Cooperative has only been able to conduct a pilot project on 2 hectares of completely organic farming. This custard apple orchard is isolated from other orchards of the cooperative. To avoid cross-contamination with chemical pesticides from surrounding orchards, the Minh Trung Cooperative has built a high wall surrounding the organic custard apple orchard.
Because they are still affected by mealybugs and thrips to a certain extent, the organic custard apples from Minh Trung Cooperative don't look as visually appealing as those from orchards grown organically, but the quality and yield are still guaranteed.
In producing organic custard apples, Minh Trung Cooperative accepted a trade-off in terms of the fruit's appearance. By switching to completely organic production, the cooperative aims to transform these 2 hectares of custard apple orchards and the surrounding area into an interesting tourist destination associated with OCOP 3-star certified custard apples, as this orchard is located near Ba Den Mountain - a famous spiritual tourist destination in Tay Ninh province.
Therefore, alongside organizing the production of organic custard apples, Minh Trung Cooperative is building the necessary facilities for a tourist attraction. In addition, to create more experiential spaces for visitors, the cooperative has brought hundreds of plant species and nine animal species such as deer, rabbits, sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens to the area.
In a few months, when the organic custard apple orchard begins to yield its harvest, Minh Trung Cooperative will officially open its doors to welcome tourists to visit and experience a spacious, green, and clean rural garden, where they can enjoy the delicious, sweet, and purely organic Ba Den custard apples on the spot and buy them as gifts.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/lam-mang-cau-huu-co-de-phat-trien-du-lich-d404132.html
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