Passion fruit farming cooperative in Tan Lap

QTO - The restructuring of crop patterns in Tan Lap commune has opened up many new avenues for local economic development. However, some agricultural products, despite being suitable for the climate, still face difficulties in finding markets. In response to this situation, the model of linking and guaranteeing the purchase of passion fruit products by Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan in Tan Hao village has opened up a sustainable path, bringing high economic efficiency to his family and providing a development direction for farmers in the mountainous region.

Actively seek outlets for your products.

Previously, passion fruit was cultivated by farmers in Tan Lap commune, but it gradually lost its market share due to a lack of stable consumption. Recognizing the problem in the consumption stage, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan proactively sought out and collaborated with large enterprises to ensure output. To revive this promising crop, he decided to build an experimental model, planning to establish a processing and purchasing facility once it stabilizes, and support farmers in forming a concentrated raw material area.

To gain knowledge, Mr. Thuan went to Dak Lak to learn from large farms, combined with researching techniques online and selecting high-quality plant varieties from Nghe An. In the first year, he cleared 2 hectares of his family's land to erect poles, build trellises, and install a proper irrigation system. Thanks to applying the correct technical procedures, the passion fruit garden developed favorably, achieving high yields and remaining free from pests and diseases. Building on this initial success, he continued to rent more land in other villages to expand his production scale. To date, his family's total passion fruit area is 7 hectares, all of which are in the stable harvesting stage.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan (left) is always ready to share his experience and provide technical support for passion fruit cultivation to farmers who want to develop their economy - Photo: KS

According to calculations, over a two-year harvesting cycle, one hectare of passion fruit yields an average of about 80 tons. With market prices fluctuating around 20,000 VND/kg, each hectare of passion fruit generates nearly 1 billion VND in revenue.

Mr. Thuan shared: “Through practical research and pilot projects, I found that passion fruit is very suitable for the climate and soil in Tan Lap. The plant is easy to grow, does not require much care or fertilizer, and is resistant to pests and diseases. If producers follow the correct technical procedures from the very beginning, the plants will grow very well, and the yield and quality will be quite high.”

Linking production with consumption

In reality, when selling to large businesses, the required size and shape standards for the fruit are very strict, resulting in a large amount of substandard produce being discarded, causing waste for farmers. To thoroughly solve this problem, Mr. Thuan decided to invest nearly 500 million VND to build a processing system and freezing warehouse at his home. Passion fruit that does not meet export size standards will be pitted, packaged, and frozen to supply processing plants in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.