Loc Quang farmers diversify crops

Farmers in Loc Quang commune take care of pepper gardens among coffee trees

Having grown coffee for nearly 30 years, Mr. Do Thu, a farmer in Village 5, Loc Quang Commune, realized that to be sustainable, he had to diversify his income sources. His family is currently growing coffee mixed with pepper and has planned to add mangosteen to their garden. “Prices go up and down, so we have to think long-term. Pepper is also currently priced well. After pepper, I chose mangosteen because it is suitable for the soil and has its own market. Whatever you do, you need to look beyond the immediate crop,” Mr. Thu said.

That thought is no longer the private matter of a single farmer. Also in Village 5, Ms. Ha Thi Hien takes advantage of an area of ​​1.7 hectares to both maintain coffee as the main pillar and intercrop avocado, durian and pepper. Ms. Hien shared: “At first, I was hesitant. But then I thought, the land is large, the trees are suitable for the climate, if you take good care of them, any tree will repay you. Now, every season has an income, the coffee has not yet entered the season, but the avocado has already borne fruit, or the pepper is ready to be cut.”

Thanks to households like Mr. Thu and Ms. Hien, the conversion and diversification of crops in Loc Quang has gradually become a practical direction with clear results. According to the Commune Farmers' Association, in addition to the existing 1,546.6 hectares of coffee, of which 55.8 hectares have been replanted, the locality has also developed an additional 12.8 hectares of pepper, 11.2 hectares of durian, 7.8 hectares of avocado, 45.3 hectares of macadamia, and some other types of trees such as mulberry. These figures show a strong shift in people's farming thinking, from single planting to intercropping, from single value to multi-level exploitation. “People are now more proactive in production. The Association only provides technical support, market information, loans, etc. As for choosing which trees and how to grow them, people calculate and do it themselves. Some households have boldly converted nearly half of their area to fruit trees. This is very encouraging,” said Mr. Long The Van, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Loc Quang Commune.

To support farmers in a systematic transformation, up to now, the Commune Farmers' Association has organized 8 seminars on fruit tree cultivation techniques, attracting 558 participants. Along with that are on-site training courses, pest control instructions, use of organic fertilizers, water-saving irrigation and access to consumer markets. Thanks to this companionship, more and more farmers have begun to proactively calculate the crop structure from the beginning of the year, with reasonable investment plans for each crop.

From a region that relied heavily on coffee, Loc Quang is gradually forming more connected production areas. Intercropping gardens not only generate steady seasonal income, but also improve coverage, retain moisture, and reduce erosion. In addition, many households also use manure from livestock to care for their gardens, saving costs and protecting the environment.

The transformation in production also goes hand in hand with the spirit of joining hands to build an advanced new countryside. In recent times, the people of Loc Quang commune have voluntarily donated more than 3,480 m² of land to expand roads, contributing to the construction of 2.1 km of new inter-village roads and nearly 2 km of solidified intra-field canals. These are important foundations to better serve production, transport agricultural products and improve the quality of life in the villages.

The total number of members of the Commune Farmers' Association is currently 1,002, of which 498 households have achieved the title of excellent producers and traders at all levels. Notably, 956 households have committed to ensuring food safety in production, and more than 250 members use the Vietnam Farmers' App to look up markets, techniques, and connect with agricultural product consumption. The Association has also successfully mobilized 5.55 million VND into the farmer support fund, and at the same time implemented an additional loan project from the district level worth 300 million VND for 10 households to borrow to take care of coffee. The total outstanding balance of credit sources managed by the Association is currently more than 10.4 billion VND and there is absolutely no overdue debt.

Sharing about the journey of transforming production and developing the local household economy , Mr. Long The Van assessed: “In general, the Association at all levels and farmer members in the commune have been very active and made great efforts in production activities. Members have well implemented the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws. The consensus between the people and the government, between the farmers' will to rise up and the support orientation from the Association at all levels is the foundation for Loc Quang commune to continue to maintain a stable development pace. In particular, the people's proactive conversion of crops, application of new techniques and bold production linkages are important "keys" to increasing income, adapting to the market, towards a green - clean - sustainable rural future.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202505/nong-dan-loc-quang-da-dang-hoa-cay-trong-35e7fc5/