Thai Nguyen custard apple raises the bar and reaches further

THAI NGUYEN Planting in different seasons, organic fertilization, and serial numbering to trace care history help custard apple growers in Thai Nguyen overcome geographical barriers and make a lot of money during the harvest season.

Along National Highway 1B, the land of La Hien, Vo Nhai ( Thai Nguyen province) is surrounded by limestone mountains, interspersed with flat land strips. There, nature has endowed this land with a climate and soil favorable for growing fruit trees, thanks to which, La Hien custard apples and Vo Nhai custard apples have long been famous far and wide. But few people know that, along with the purity of the mountains and forests, Vo Nhai farmers today are also receiving a new resource: information resources, helping to narrow the gap between highland growers and the market, contributing to reducing information poverty for the highland community.

Custard apples from La Hien and Vo Nhai are famous for their rich, sweet, refreshing taste and gentle, characteristic mountain fragrance. Custard apples have thick, plump segments that melt in your mouth.

Organic custard apple growing area, custard apple garden in Vo Nhai commune, Thai Nguyen province. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

Even people who have been attached to custard apple trees for many years, such as Mr. Kieu Thuong Chat (Vo Nhai commune), cannot fully explain why custard apples in this area have a sweet taste and a unique aroma that cannot be confused with custard apples from anywhere else. They only know that custard apples in Vo Nhai, where he lives, seem to be absorbing the morning dew, the sun, the wind, and the purity of the mountains and forests. But for custard apples from a remote mountainous area to reach urban consumers, farmers must overcome distances not only geographically but also in terms of information, markets, techniques and technology.

From afar, Mr. Chat's custard apple garden looks like a silk strip along the mountainside, with custard apple trees sprouting and growing from the crevices of the rocks. Mr. Chat's custard apple trees are numbered and meticulously cared for, just like the way Vo Nhai people take care of themselves.

For Mr. Chat, custard apples are not only carefully nurtured and cared for, but they also represent the crystallization of the soul, culture and hard-working nature of the people here.

Mr. Chat is a pioneer in Vo Nhai commune applying automatic irrigation for custard apple gardens. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

To have beautiful custard apples, Mr. Chat makes a “profile” of each tree, the care process, and the expected yield are all clearly shown. Each custard apple tree is numbered and has clear information, updated on the profile, customers can order from when the tree is still bearing fruit, see how the tree they bought is cared for, and when it will be harvested.

The reason it is called a numbered custard apple tree is because each tree is numbered and identified via a QR code with all information about the farmer, care process, time, and expected yield.

Mr. Chat said that his family currently has more than 2 hectares of custard apple trees, of which more than 1.5 hectares. Thanks to the application of technical advances, especially the automatic irrigation system and organic care process, his family's production is much less difficult than before. But more importantly, the application of QR codes and digital records helps him grasp accurate information, proactively predict output, manage quality and connect with customers more effectively. These are practical steps in the journey to reduce information poverty for farmers in mountainous areas - which have long depended heavily on traders and word-of-mouth experience.

Ms. Hoan takes care of her family's organic custard apple garden. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

In Mo Ga hamlet (Vo Nhai commune), Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoan's custard apple garden stands out with its beautiful landscape and is located close to the national highway. Ms. Hoan owns more than 200 custard apple trees that are 12 years old, of which the family has also identified 40 trees. The first crop sold online, customers placed orders many months before harvest.

According to Ms. Hoan, the highlight of “na so” is not only introducing the product but also reducing information risks for buyers and sellers. Customers can see the fertilization process, and her family does not have to worry about losing value at harvest time. Every na season, her garden is bustling with customers. They come not only to buy but also to visit and learn about the na culture. The story of the product and the story of the land is told to customers by her as a natural and vivid form of local communication.

“The family mainly sold the last harvest at the garden, not at the market. Thanks to good promotion, the price was quite high. At the beginning of the season, the price was 60,000 VND/kg, 10 to 20,000 VND/kg higher than the traditional custard apple growing before,” said Ms. Hoan.

In La Hien commune, custard apple is the main fruit tree, bringing stable income to people, over 200 million VND/ha. In recent years, the commune has pioneered the application of information technology, QR code pasting, putting custard apple on e-commerce platforms, building VietGAP models and organic production. This is not only a change in production methods but also a change in the way farmers access information. Thanks to that, people have access to a wider market, know updated prices, understand quality standards and proactively adjust production.

Custard apple growers in Thai Nguyen have better access to market information and capital to support organic custard apple growing. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

Mr. Tran Duc Tu, Vice Chairman of La Hien Commune People's Committee, said that the commune focuses on developing custard apple growing areas in the direction of intensive farming, spreading out crops, building new-style cooperatives, linking farmers with businesses, and combining community tourism development. La Hien Custard Apple Festival has also become a highlight, not only promoting products but also being an opportunity to widely communicate about farming techniques, consumption markets, and consumer trends.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/na-thai-nguyen-nang-tam-vuon-xa-d788399.html