Mulberry season is in full swing.

For the past four years, Mr. Huynh Thanh Liem (residing in Binh Luong hamlet, Dong Khoi commune, Chau Thanh district) has diligently cared for his nearly 1-hectare mulberry orchard. This orchard is the main source of income for his family, with earnings from selling mulberries reaching up to 200 million VND per year.

The mulberry tree has many other names such as Vietnamese mulberry, Cang mulberry, Tam Tang... Its scientific name is Morus alba L. Morus acidosa Giff, Belonging to the Moraceae family (mulberry family), it has a woody stem, alternate oval leaves, and serrated leaf margins.

Mulberries have a shape consisting of many small spheres clustered together to form a rough, elongated mass, about 3cm long. Initially green, the fruit turns red, and finally, when fully ripe, it is dark black.

Mr. Liem at his mulberry garden.

Ripe mulberries have a slightly sour, sweet taste and a distinctive aroma, making them quite delicious. Mulberries also contain many nutrients beneficial to human health, such as sugar, protein, organic acids, vitamin B1, vitamin C, carotene, antioxidants, and fiber.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, ripe mulberries, when dried or sun-dried, are called tang tham and are said to have the effect of nourishing the blood, strengthening the liver and kidneys, lubricating the intestines, aiding digestion, boosting immunity, and slowing down the aging process. For a long time, people have used and verified the amazing benefits of this fruit, so it is very popular.

The orchard owner said that this year's mulberry yield is high.

In reality, mulberry cultivation is not yet widespread in Tay Ninh province; only a few places grow them for their fruit to make mulberry wine. People usually plant a few trees around their houses for ornamental purposes, harvesting the fruit to eat or make drinks when the mulberries ripen.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Liem realized that the local climate, characterized by a long, hot dry season, would be ideal for selling a large quantity of mulberry fruit as a refreshing drink for the local people. Furthermore, his son-in-law also owns a company specializing in mulberry wine production (in Suoi Da commune, Duong Minh Chau district). Therefore, Mr. Liem decided to plant mulberry trees on a large scale to commercially sell the fruit.

The mulberry trees are laden with fruit.

Mr. Liem recounted that his family used to grow rice on the same plot of land. However, the weather and the price of this agricultural product often fluctuated unfavorably for farmers. Since his family switched to growing mulberry trees, their income has become more stable.

According to Mr. Liem, after grafting, mulberry trees begin to flower and bear fruit after about 6 months, and the yield increases over time. Currently, Mr. Liem sells mulberries locally at 60,000 VND/kg and wholesale at 45,000 VND/kg. The revenue from selling mulberries can reach up to 200 million VND per year.

Laborers harvesting mulberry leaves.

Mr. Liem further shared that growing mulberry trees requires less labor and less capital than some other fruit trees such as longan, durian, and lemon... He also determined that mulberries are a type of fruit used for direct consumption or fermented into beverages, so they must be produced according to clean agricultural processes.

Accordingly, the mulberry orchard owner does not use chemical fertilizers, but only buys trash fish from the local area and from the Dau Tieng lake area to compost into fish-based fertilizer for the trees, supplemented with composted cassava pulp purchased from cassava processing plants. Mulberry trees are woody plants with leaves that have many hair-like components, so they are rarely affected by pests; therefore, the owner also does not use chemical pesticides.

Workers must handle ripe mulberries gently.

Mr. Liem said that if mulberry trees are not pruned or their leaves are removed, they will bear fruit and ripen between May and July each year. However, if pruning, leaf removal, watering, and fertilization are done immediately after harvesting, the trees will bear fruit again in about two months. It is advisable to divide the mulberry trees into several sections within the same area to apply this technique in stages, ensuring a year-round supply of mulberry fruit without waiting for the main fruiting season.

Mulberries in the orchard don't ripen all at once, and consumers tend to prefer ripe, dark black berries, so the orchard owner has to hire workers to harvest them multiple times, each time spaced about 3 days apart. Workers must handle the mulberries gently because ripe fruit is quite soft and easily bruised.

Customers often prefer to buy mulberries that are fully ripe and dark black in color.

To properly use ripe mulberries, Mr. Liem advises that simply rinsing them gently with clean water is enough to eat them fresh. If customers want to ferment mulberries into juice for later use as a beverage, they should also rinse them gently with clean water and dry them in the sun before placing them in a glass jar for fermentation. A small amount of rock sugar should be added to reduce the natural acidity of the mulberries and stimulate the fermentation process.

Depending on personal preference, you can add a little sugar to the strawberry juice, add ice, stir well, and then enjoy. With the current hot weather, having this fruit juice to drink is truly wonderful.

Mr. Liem packs ripe mulberries to deliver to retail customers.

Regarding the sales of mulberry fruit, Mr. Liem said that customers currently buy mulberries mainly through referrals from those who have used them before. A significant number of other customers learn about and order "Nam Liem Mulberries" through social media, thanks to his son's promotional posts.

During the peak season for mulberries, when retail customers couldn't consume all the harvested mulberries, Mr. Liem sold them wholesale to his son-in-law for making mulberry wine. This year, Mr. Liem's ​​mulberry orchard is in full bloom, but the harvested quantity is insufficient to supply retail customers, even though the yield is higher than in 2024.

While the immediate economic potential of mulberry fruit is evident, according to Mr. Liem, people who want to cultivate this crop for large-scale economic development must consider stable market outlets, especially through companies guaranteeing product purchase or establishing sustainable distribution links with department stores and supermarkets.

Quoc Son

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/mua-dau-tam-chin-ro-a188482.html