Chi Lang farmers take care of custard apples during the season

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- At this time, farmers in Chi Lang commune are busy taking care of the custard apples by pruning, fertilizing, bagging fruit, etc. so that the trees can grow at the right stage. Proactively adjusting the season helps people prolong the harvest time, avoid the situation of "good harvest, low price", and increase income.

In early November, we had the opportunity to return to Chi Lang, known as the "na-cuapple capital" of Lang Son province.

Along the hillsides, custard apple orchards are still green, interspersed with clusters of growing fruit, signaling a promising late harvest season. Although the harvesting is no longer as busy as in the main season, the working atmosphere of the people is still bustling because this is an important time in the process of caring for custard apples, deciding the yield and quality of the whole crop.

We visited the custard apple garden of Mr. Ma Van Let's family in Quan Thanh village, Chi Lang commune, while his family was busy preparing to take care of the custard apples for the season.

Mr. Let shared: This year, my family has about 400 custard apple trees for harvest. In recent years, in addition to developing the main custard apple crop, my family has also focused on producing spread-crop custard apples. Since the beginning of the sixth lunar month this year, my family has been fertilizing, pruning, and marking flowers to adjust the fruiting time to harvest the spread-crop custard apples on schedule and with the best quality. Currently, my family is focusing on bagging the fruit, fertilizing and adding nutrients for the trees to grow stably, preparing for the upcoming spread-crop custard apple crop.

People of Chi Lang commune take care of custard apples in the season.

According to Mr. Let, the spread-a-crop custard apple is not planted on a new area but is cared for and adjusted to grow right on the main custard apple trees. Thanks to the application of appropriate techniques, the tree gives an additional batch of fruit after the main crop, helping to extend the harvest time and increase economic efficiency. This year, the main custard apple crop brings his family an income of about 200 - 250 million VND, and the spread-a-crop custard apple crop is expected to reach 250 - 300 million VND thanks to the selling price being 10% - 20% higher than the main crop.

Through research, we learned that this is also the production direction applied by many households in Chi Lang commune to increase product value and develop sustainable agriculture .

The spread-season custard apples usually have a beautiful appearance, bright skin, firm flesh, and rich sweetness, and are favored by traders and consumers. Thanks to their superior quality and late harvest time, the selling price of spread-season custard apples is often 10-20% higher than the main season, helping many families earn hundreds of millions of dong each year after deducting expenses.

Although it requires more meticulous care, the economic efficiency that multi-crop custard apples bring is more stable and sustainable, helping people take advantage of their free time and proactively generate long-term income.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Mai, a tourist from Thai Nguyen province, shared: I was very impressed when coming to Chi Lang at this time, the custard apple garden was still green and lush, many fruits were wrapped and ready to be harvested even though it was past the main season. Thanks to the spread-out method, tourists like us have the opportunity to enjoy delicious custard apples at different times of the year, while also helping local people consume their products more conveniently.

Visitors' feelings partly show the clear effectiveness of the new production direction. Instead of concentrating on harvesting in a few months, the spread-out regulation helps reduce consumption pressure, contributing to stabilizing prices in the market. This is also a step forward for Chi Lang custard apple growers from small-scale production to sustainable commodity agricultural thinking, linked to market demand.

Currently, the entire Chi Lang commune has over 1,400 hectares of custard apple growing area, of which about 1,223 hectares are being harvested and more than 100 hectares are produced in a spread-crop direction. The average yield is 10.6 tons/ha, the total output of the commune is estimated at about 12,980 tons, including the spread-crop custard apple area.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Cuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chi Lang Commune, shared: In recent times, farmers in Chi Lang Commune have actively applied crop spreading techniques, helping to extend the harvest time and increase the value of custard apples. People increasingly pay attention to the process of care, pollination, harvesting and proper preservation, thanks to which the quality of custard apples is increasingly improved. At the same time, the commune government also actively supports people in connecting product consumption, contributing to increasing the value and sustainable development of the Chi Lang custard apple brand.

It can be said that, through innovations in thinking and working methods, farmers in Chi Lang commune are gradually asserting their position in the market. Among the green hills, the image of people diligently taking care of the custard apple gardens is a vivid proof of the spirit of hard work, creating a solid foundation for the Chi Lang custard apple brand to increasingly develop, reach far and become the pride of Lang land.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/nong-dan-chi-lang-cham-soc-na-rai-vu-5064073.html