Increase income through fruit tree cultivation.

Thanks to cultivating fruit trees suitable to the local soil and production conditions, many farmers in the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative in Truong Thanh commune, Can Tho city, have achieved a fairly good income. To further enhance efficiency, farmers continuously learn, acquire information and knowledge, and apply scientific and technological advancements to production to create high-quality, high-value products.

Mr. Phan Hoang Ba visits his family's durian orchard in Dinh Khanh B hamlet, Truong Thanh commune.

The family of Mr. Nguyen Kep Chanh, residing in Dinh Khanh B hamlet, Truong Thanh commune, only owns 5 acres of rice paddies and over 1 acre of land for perennial crops, including their house. Previously, although he planted 3 rice crops per year, the income was low, barely enough to live on. The vacant land around the house was mostly overgrown with weeds, yielding almost no significant income. However, in recent years, Mr. Chanh's family has boldly switched to growing fruit trees. He said: “I converted 5 acres of low-yielding rice land to growing Ido longan and have been harvesting fruit for over 3 years now. Longan yields 2.5-3 tons per acre, selling at a much higher price than rice, helping me earn 100-150 million VND per year, 3-5 times higher than before growing rice. Thanks to production linkages, support in production, learning, and exchanging experiences in fruit tree cultivation, I have boldly joined the local 30/4 Gardening Cooperative.” Currently, Mr. Chánh has also transformed the area of ​​weeds around his house into durian orchards. When the trees bear fruit, the family will have an additional source of income.

Having been involved with the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative since its inception in 2021, Mr. Luong Van Tan, residing in Dinh Hoa A hamlet, is currently a core member with 7 acres of land planted with durian and jackfruit. Thanks to fruit tree cultivation, his family's income has increased many times compared to before. Mr. Tan said: “Since converting the less productive rice land to fruit orchards and establishing production linkages, I and many households in the Cooperative have significantly increased our income and improved our lives. Although the cultivated area is only from 0.5 to 1.5 hectares, many households have achieved an income of 100-600 million VND/year; those with an area of ​​over 2 hectares earn even more. This is an income level per cultivated area that no farmer thought they could achieve when they were still growing rice.”

Many members of the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative said that the land in Truong Thanh commune is quite suitable for developing the cultivation of many delicious, specialty fruit trees that bring high economic efficiency, such as longan, jackfruit, and especially durian. To maximize the effectiveness of their orchards, farmers in Truong Thanh commune not only promote the application of advanced techniques in production but also increasingly cooperate to develop large-scale, concentrated production. At the same time, they are forming specialized fruit-growing areas that meet quality and safety standards, satisfying the needs of the domestic and export markets. This facilitates connections with purchasing and export businesses to sell fruit products at high prices.

According to Mr. Phan Hoang Ba, Deputy Head of the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative, established in 2021, the cooperative initially had only 8 members with 4.7 hectares of cultivated land. To date, the cooperative has grown to 30 members and over 33 hectares of cultivated land. Durian is the main crop at the cooperative and has helped many households become wealthy. Mr. Ba's family alone currently owns 2.5 hectares of durian orchards, with nearly half of the area already bearing fruit. Mr. Ba said: “For long-established durian orchards, with yields of 2-3 tons per hectare, selling at around 50,000 VND/kg like in previous years, farmers can earn a profit of 60-80 million VND per hectare, or even higher if prices are better. Currently, farmers in the cooperative mainly grow the seedless Ri 6 durian variety. The local soil conditions are quite suitable for durian cultivation, helping the trees produce fruit with beautiful color, high quality, and less fibrous texture.”

With the support of city and local authorities, farmers at the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative are developing a 20-hectare durian growing area according to VietGAP standards, applying integrated plant health management (IPHM) to reduce costs, improve productivity and quality, and ensure product safety. Farmers at the cooperative hope to connect with more durian export companies and businesses in the future to develop sustainable production and ensure stable product outlets.

Truong Thanh commune has over 2,200 hectares of fruit orchards, including more than 1,670 hectares of durian, with an annual production of over 16,000 tons. To stabilize output, local authorities have been actively supporting farmers in production linkages and applying advanced technical processes to reduce production costs and create high-quality, safe products to meet market demands.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Thien Thu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Truong Thanh commune, in recent times, many durian-growing households have had relatively high incomes and profits compared to other crops. However, durian cultivation is also facing many risks, from falling prices to increasingly stringent requirements of the consumer market. Strengthening linkages and applying production according to good agricultural practices standards such as VietGAP at the 30/4 Gardening Cooperative is essential to ensure quality, safety, facilitate consumption, and reduce risks.

Text and photos: KHANH TRUNG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nang-cao-thu-nhap-nho-trong-cay-an-trai-a203155.html