Developing organic coconut growing areas in Tay Ninh: Organic coconut - 'sweet fruit' on sunny land (Part 1)

Tay Ninh is developing many circular agricultural economic models, at the same time, farmers are gradually changing their production methods towards organic production, bringing many outstanding economic benefits. Typically, the model of combining organic coconut and eco-tourism is a promising model, opening a green, sustainable direction for agriculture and tourism in the sunny and windy land of Tay Ninh.

Lesson 1: Organic coconut - "sweet fruit" on sunny land

Tay Ninh was once known as the “capital of custard apples”, but recently, thanks to innovative thinking and the application of modern techniques, many people have changed their crop structure with the organic coconut model. This is considered an effective economic model and an attractive destination for tourists.

New direction for agriculture

Thanh Tan Commune (now Binh Minh Commune) was once known as the “soursop capital” of Tay Ninh. However, in recent years, the increase in diseases on soursop trees, along with unstable prices, has caused many gardeners to suffer. Many households have boldly switched to other crops. Among them, the Japanese-style model of growing coconuts and strawberries, combined with eco-tourism development by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vu, is considered a green, sustainable direction, bringing double efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vu's coconut garden is grown using organic methods.

Mr. Vu said that before he "fell in love" with agriculture, he had worked for many years in the field of fertilizer and agricultural materials production at a Japanese-Vietnamese joint venture company. "The working environment there gave me the opportunity to interact and learn a lot from Japanese agricultural practices," Mr. Vu shared.

From the accumulated experience, Mr. Vu realized that coconut trees are easy to grow, easy to care for, and adapt well to many types of soil such as sandy loam, loam, or clay. In particular, coconut trees bear fruit all year round, very suitable for combining with eco-tourism development. Grasping this advantage, he decided to invest in organic coconut cultivation combined with tourism and initially reaped encouraging successes.

According to Mr. Vu, Tay Ninh has the advantage of abundant agricultural waste and by-products such as bagasse and cassava residue - organic materials that are very good for improving the soil. "Our land has a lot of sunshine, and coconut water is very sweet. If the soil is well improved, the productivity and quality can be completely comparable to coconuts from the West," Mr. Vu affirmed.

Mr. Vu's secret to effective coconut cultivation begins with soil improvement. Before setting up the garden, he collected bagasse and cassava residue, composted them into piles and added microorganisms to speed up the decomposition process. After about 6 months, when the compost had decomposed, he tilled the soil, mixed it well, and added micronutrients such as fused phosphate to improve the pH and increase the mineral content of the soil.

Although it has good drought resistance, coconut trees still need to be provided with enough water during the growing period. Mr. Vu has invested in an irrigation system combined with automatic fertilizer injection, both maintaining humidity and providing stable nutrition, especially useful in the dry season. At the same time, he also creates an ecological environment of the soil rich in worms by retaining the natural grass layer, only cutting around the base; the rest is cut and composted, becoming a long-term organic source for the garden.

Mr. Vu also focuses on biological safety in pest control. According to him, the coconut tree is most afraid of the top weevil, so he chose a hybrid Siamese coconut with a hard trunk, which limits this type of insect. In addition, he also applies the method of sprinkling salt around the top or hanging salt bags on the top to prevent disease; using biological granules around the base to kill nematodes; combining nano-microorganisms with molasses to both improve the soil and control fungal diseases.

“Currently, my coconut products are consumed in many forms: fresh, exported, processed, etc. Thanks to the synchronous application of technical solutions, the coconut garden produces fruits of very high quality. In addition to the criteria of cleanliness and safety, the market requires a minimum sweetness of 7 degrees Brix for coconuts, while my coconuts always reach above 9 degrees, so they are favored by many consumers,” said Mr. Vu.

Green tourism in the "sunny land"

In recent years, Tay Ninh tourism has gradually affirmed its position, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. With the highlight of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, the province is coordinating with related units to develop many tourism models associated with agriculture. This direction initially shows promise, meeting the increasing demand for experiences of tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vu’s organic coconut garden has become an ideal destination for tourists to Tay Ninh. Since the garden began to produce harvests, many groups of visitors from inside and outside the province have come to visit and enjoy the fresh, clean space; learn about the organic gardening process, pick coconuts themselves, enjoy them on the spot and choose the coconuts they like to bring home as gifts.

The sweetness of coconut is always above 9 degrees Brix.

“I chose to grow organic coconuts not only because of the economic efficiency but also because of the desire to create a sustainable agricultural model associated with eco-tourism. By taking advantage of the climate and available organic resources of Tay Ninh and applying modern farming techniques, I believe that organic coconuts can bring stable income, protect the land, preserve the environment, and at the same time introduce to tourists an image of a green, clean countryside worth experiencing,” Mr. Vu emphasized.

Evaluating this model, Mr. Ha Thanh Tung - Deputy Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, said that Tay Ninh has many strengths in tourism, in which agricultural tourism is a potential model but has not been properly exploited. The fact that gardeners boldly develop agriculture combined with tourism has opened up a new space for the local agricultural sector.

“We are actively supporting businesses to create products that attract tourists. Mr. Vu’s organic coconut garden is a new, suitable and effective tourism product, promising to become a highlight for Tay Ninh tourism in the near future,” said Mr. Ha Thanh Tung.

According to Mr. Ngo Tran Ngoc Quoc - Chairman of Tay Ninh Tourism Association, with its existing advantages, the province is gradually forming many tourism models associated with agriculture and initially showing clear prospects. Currently, around the Ba Den mountain area, many agricultural tourism spots have appeared built by farmers themselves, from high-tech agricultural models to
garden tourism

“We need to create a difference for Tay Ninh tourism with unique products. In the coming time, the Association will build a symbiotic ecosystem, connecting all members in the tourism sector to cooperate, create community strength, and aim to develop green tourism, thereby creating a breakthrough for the province's tourism industry,” Mr. Ngo Tran Ngoc Quoc emphasized.

From years of experience working with Japanese partners and understanding the natural advantages of his homeland, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vu has turned the straight rows of organic coconut trees in Binh Minh into a living proof of modern agricultural thinking. Not only does it produce sweet fruit that meets export standards, his model also opens up a direction for green agricultural development associated with eco-tourism - a bright spot that helps Tay Ninh effectively exploit the potential of land and sunshine in the border area./.

(to be continued)

Hoang Yen

Lesson 2: Prospects from the organic coconut cooperative model

Source: https://baolongan.vn/phat-trien-vung-trong-dua-huu-co-tai-tay-ninh-dua-huu-co-trai-ngot-tren-vung-dat-nang-bai-1--a202218.html