Stable income from cocoa farming.

With many advantages such as low investment costs, ease of cultivation, minimal care requirements, and year-round fruiting, cocoa trees have helped many farmers in Quang Tri commune, Da Huoai district, achieve stable incomes.

Thanks to cocoa cultivation, many farmers in Quang Tri commune, Da Huoai district, have a decent income.

We visited the cocoa farming model of Ms. Vu Thi Tuat, 55 years old, in Hamlet 4, Quang Tri Commune, at the time her family was preparing to harvest their cocoa crop for the week. Ms. Tuat said that throughout the past year, the purchase price of fresh cocoa pods has remained stable at 15,000 VND/kg, making farmers like her family very happy. She said that since 2007, her family has been experimenting with growing cocoa trees and considering it a key step in their economic development. Over nearly 20 years, although cocoa prices have fluctuated at times, they have generally yielded a relatively high economic return compared to other crops in the area. According to Ms. Tuat, in the early days of planting, her family faced many difficulties because cocoa has many varieties, and the planting techniques were more challenging when brought to new land. However, with determination, diligence, and meticulous care, this new crop has grown and developed very well. Currently, with 5,000 ^m² of cocoa trees, Mrs. Tuat's family harvests fresh cocoa pods once a week, with an average yield of 400-500 kg, generating an income of 6-7.5 million VND.

Similarly, with 8,000 ^m² of cocoa trees, Mr. Vo Tuong's family in Hamlet 4, Quang Tri Commune, earns an average of tens of millions of dong per week. According to Mr. Tuong, cocoa is a very easy crop to grow and care for, with many advantages such as low investment costs, minimal labor, and year-round fruiting. This crop has brought high economic efficiency to farmers in the commune in recent times. The consistently high price of cocoa recently has made cocoa growers very happy. In particular, in the past few years, the purchase of products from farmers has also been very convenient; after harvesting, farmers have trucks from businesses coming directly to their farms to transport the produce. "Before, I was always worried about a bumper harvest leading to a drop in prices, but since participating in the organic cocoa production model, the output is guaranteed by the businesses, so I feel very secure," Mr. Tuong said.

According to Mr. Tuong, when choosing cocoa trees for economic development, people need to carefully select the variety. To harvest, cocoa trees need to be grown for about 3-5 years. Therefore, choosing good, disease-free varieties is of great importance and should be given utmost attention to avoid wasting time, effort, and money without achieving truly satisfactory results.

Mr. Ha Vinh Du, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri commune, said that in recent times, cocoa has been purchased at stable prices, providing growers with a decent income. This has led to the formation of a cocoa farming cooperative in the commune, acting as a central hub for cocoa cultivation in Quang Tri. Currently, several units in the area have also organized production and established linkages for purchasing, processing, and supplying raw materials to businesses. Currently, Quang Tri commune has about 5 hectares of cocoa, cultivated by more than a dozen households. While the prices of many other fruit crops fluctuate constantly, cocoa prices remain very stable, providing growers with a good income. As a result, people are increasingly interested in expanding the area under cocoa cultivation.

According to Mr. Ha Vinh Du, due to its economic benefits, Quang Tri commune has recently included cocoa in its group of key crops and encouraged farmers to switch to cocoa cultivation in suitable areas. At the same time, to develop cocoa cultivation sustainably and in depth, the Quang Tri Commune People's Committee has also researched and worked with businesses involved in purchasing and processing the product, aiming to form a value chain from production to consumer; and strengthening production linkages with businesses to ensure stable output and give farmers peace of mind in their production.

According to the assessment of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Da Huoai district, cocoa cultivation currently has great potential in Quang Tri commune in particular and Da Huoai in general. With proper and appropriate investment, the potential for development of this crop is significant. The increase in cocoa prices has helped people increase their income and improve their lives, thereby giving them more motivation to stay committed to cocoa farming and focus more on investing in and caring for cocoa plants in a way that improves quality and ensures sustainable production.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202504/thu-nhap-on-dinh-nho-trong-ca-cao-ff87329/