On the last day of April, Mr. Huynh Van Ap (in Dong Thanh commune, Binh Minh town, Vinh Long) picked ten kilograms of sweet tea bars and sold them to customers for 4 VND/kg.
Mr. Egypt's Thanh Tra garden is 2 hectares wide, planted with 200 sweet Thanh Tra trees. "At this time, Thanh Tra should have run out of fruit, but this year I decided to experiment with growing out-of-season fruit, so I still have fruit left," Mr. Egypt said.
This old farmer is currently the Director of Dong Thanh sweet tea cooperative and Chairman of Binh Minh billionaire farmers club.
More than ten years ago, Mr. Egypt went everywhere to find sweet tea seedlings. By chance, Mr. Egypt was impressed with a sweet, big fruit and thick rice plant, so he decided to choose a seedling to plant to "start a business".
“This sweet tea variety originated in the mountains of Ha Tien (Kien Giang), people there call it 'wild mango'. After 3 years of planting, the tree produces about 5kg of fruit. When I eat it, I find that Thanh Tra fruit has a sweet taste similar to Cat Hoa Loc mango, big fruit, small seeds...", Mr. Egypt said and decided to grow sweet Thanh Tra.
Mr. Egypt said that the favorable season for Thanh Tra is from after the Lunar New Year and lasts until the end of the second lunar month. However, due to unfavorable weather this year, the output of Thanh Tra decreased a lot, about 2%.
"The reason why Tra Thanh Tra production has decreased so much is due to the hot weather from the beginning of the season, the cold weather late, causing the trees to flower late, so the fruit setting rate is very low, unripe fruits have fallen all over the garden.
For a long time now, gardeners have grown tea trees in an extensive way, without investing in fertilizers and chemicals, mainly flowering and fruiting naturally, so they depend on the weather. In a year when the weather is favorable, the tree bears a lot of fruit and has a successful season; Every year when it gets cold late, the tree doesn't flower and it's considered a loss," Mr. Egypt said.
In order to "overcome" the weather, deal with Thanh Tra fruit that bears fruit in the off-season, and aim for trees that do not miss the season, Mr. Egypt decided with Can Tho University lecturers to research a specialty tree of Binh Minh that produces fruit at the right time. according to your opinion.
“This year, I collaborated with lecturers from Can Tho University to experiment with fruit trees in the off-season, initially quite successfully. A 13-year-old tree produces about 70kg of fruit, a smaller tree produces 40kg of fruit...", Mr. Egypt said.
He revealed that in order for the sweet ashlar tree to flower and bear fruit in the off-season, it requires many factors and quite complex techniques.
"First, I have to fertilize the tree to produce new leaves, then water it with germ-creating medicine and water... After the tree blooms, fertilize and spray it periodically...", Mr. Egypt said about how to help the Thanh Tra tree grow. off-season flowers.
He added that sweet green tea in the good season costs more than 120.000 VND/kg, but the price in the off-season is up to 160.000 VND/kg.
“Currently, my Thanh Tra garden and the members of the cooperative do not have enough fruit to supply to the market. Many people and traders called to buy, but we have to reschedule for next year," Mr. Egypt added.
Thanh Tra fruit in Binh Minh is grown most in the hamlets of Dong Hung 1, Dong Hung 2, Dong Hoa of Dong Thanh commune. Binh Minh Thanh Tra has been a famous specialty in Vinh Long for decades.
Every time after the Lunar New Year, during the Qingming period, the Binh Minh Thanh Tra tree will ripen to a golden yellow color, with beautifully plump fruit. Traders come to the garden to buy tea leaves and bring them to Highway 1, the section under the Can Tho bridge, to sell.
