The profession of "tapping" durian

Durian in the growing regions of the province is entering its harvest season. This is also the time when those who work as durian "appraisers" are busy with their work, but their joy comes from having a high income.

A job that makes money

Da Mi (Ham Thuan Bac district) is considered the durian capital of the province, with over 1,000 hectares of durian trees currently in production. At this time of year, the atmosphere of the harvest season is bustling everywhere. In the orchards, the sounds of people cutting and transporting the fruit mingle with the strong aroma of ripe durians. The amount of durian harvested from each orchard on a single day can reach several tons, providing a stable income for many workers.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, originally from Cai Be district, Tien Giang province, has been in Da Mi for over a month now, working as a durian picker. At only 25 years old, Hoa has over 7 years of experience. He is often hired by wholesalers, traders, and sometimes orchard owners to determine when a durian is ripe for harvest, or to sort out internal defects such as thick rinds or lack of flesh. Hoa explains: "To become a skilled durian picker, the first thing you need is to learn to be careful and meticulous in every detail. Secondly, you need to master the technique of listening to the sound of the durian." He explains: "Normally, you can tell if a durian is ripe just by smelling it. But in this profession, you have to be able to assess the ripeness of the fruit even before you can smell it. When you tap the fruit with the handle of a knife and hear a 'pop pop,' it means the fruit is starting to ripen; if you hear a 'clink clink' or 'boom boom,' it means the durian is not yet ripe."

According to Hoa, besides tapping and listening to the sound, skilled durian pickers also rely on the color of the thorns and rind of the durian fruit to estimate its age. If the thorns and rind have turned dark, it indicates that the fruit is mature and ready for harvest. For even greater caution, before taking over an orchard, the pickers will visit the orchard and cut a fruit to check the flesh. If the durian flesh is yellow, powdery, and has a sweet, refreshing taste, it indicates that the durian is about 130 days old and ready for harvesting. That orchard is ready for harvest.

With good health and years of experience, Hoa earns between 1 and 1.5 million VND per day from traders for "tapping" durians.

Many orchard owners say that during harvest season, each orchard has nearly a dozen people doing tasks such as tapping, picking, collecting, and transporting durians. The price varies depending on the job. However, the job of tapping durians is more expensive than other jobs, ranging from 1 to 1.5 million VND per day. Other jobs are usually paid from 300,000 to 700,000 VND per day. Although the work is difficult and strenuous, everyone hopes that if the orchard owner has a good harvest and good prices, they will also earn an income.

But it is dangerous.

Despite the relatively high income, the job of "harvesting" durians is fraught with difficulties and dangers. Mr. Tran Van Hung (Da Tro village, Da Mi commune), one of the local durian harvesters, said: "Durian trees vary in height; harvesting from shorter trees is simpler, but with taller trees, you absolutely must be careful and observant, because stepping on a dry, rotten branch can lead to a very high risk of accident and injury."

Furthermore, durian pickers must be careful in selecting the fruit; if they accidentally misidentify the age of the fruit, it can cause significant economic losses. In such cases, the picker will be forced to compensate the traders, and may even have to buy back all the unripe durians that were mistakenly cut.

"To ensure our own safety, as well as economic stability, we must always be cautious, uphold our responsibilities in our work, and constantly learn from experience to properly pick and harvest ripe, mature fruits, ensuring product quality," Hung said.

Compared to other durian-growing areas in the province, durian in Da Mi commune is typically harvested more than a month later than in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions. This is due to the intermingling of soil and climate conditions with the mild, cool highlands. Currently, traders are flocking to Da Mi to buy durian, which further increases the income of local laborers.

In Binh Thuan province, there are currently three specialized durian growing areas that produce high-quality fruit suitable for export: Ham Thuan Bac, Tanh Linh, and Duc Linh. The entire province is estimated to have about 2,500 hectares of durian, of which nearly 2,000 hectares are in harvest time with a yield of 10-16 tons/ha.

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