Earning billions from growing off-season durian on ineffective rice land

As one of the pioneer farmers planting and processing durian trees to produce fruit in the off-season on inefficient rice land in Thoai Son commune (An Giang province), Mr. Cao Van Tan (born in 1959, residing in Binh Thanh hamlet, Thoai Son commune, An Giang province) was once considered by many people as a "crazy old farmer", but he has succeeded and created his own path thanks to boldly applying science and technology to agricultural production.

Thanks to the application of scientific and technical methods, the off-season durian trees in Mr. Tan's garden always bear abundant fruit, with some trees yielding over 100 fruits. On average, each fruit sells for 100,000 VND, so these trees bring in over 10 million VND.

Proactively adopting digital technology.

Having served in the military for a time, he later returned to his hometown to engage in economic activities and rice farming. Realizing that rice farming only provided enough food for his family and couldn't generate wealth, in 2019, Mr. Tan decided to convert 6 hectares of his family's unproductive rice fields to durian cultivation, planting varieties such as Ri6, Monthong, and Musang King.

After a period of dedication, Mr. Tan now has more than 640 durian trees of various types that are bearing fruit out of season, with about a month left until harvest time.

Mr. Tan said that his family's land, located near a canal and residential area, was previously used for rice cultivation, and besides pests and diseases, it was also frequently damaged by rats. After retiring, through research and direct visits to durian orchards in Cai Lay (formerly Tien Giang province) and Cho Moi (An Giang province), Mr. Tan learned that many farmers had become wealthy and prosperous from durian cultivation. Therefore, he decided to "start a business" with this crop on his family's 6-hectare plot of land.

According to Mr. Tan, durian is a finicky crop because when the temperature is too low or too high, the tree may not flower or develop poorly, affecting yield. Besides that, it has very strict requirements regarding soil type, irrigation water, and nutrients. If the soil is acidic, it will affect the tree's ability to absorb nutrients, causing stunted growth or failure to bear fruit. Given the unpredictable weather changes, caring for durian trees becomes even more difficult... Therefore, from the moment he switched to growing durian, Mr. Tan proactively applied technology to better care for his orchard. Everything from measuring soil moisture and pH, watering, fertilizing, and spraying pesticides is automated and controlled via smartphone.

"This system has a relatively high initial investment cost, but in return, it helps gardeners proactively control the humidity and irrigation needs of their plants during different growth stages, saving on labor, fertilizer, and water," Mr. Tan shared.

In particular, Mr. Tan's durian orchard is cultivated entirely organically, strictly adhering to the production process as guided by technical staff. Each stage of the tree's development is meticulously documented in a logbook. All fertilizers and pesticides used to care for the orchard are of natural origin…

Mr. Tan believes that if durian trees are allowed to bear fruit naturally, the costs are low and the trees bear more fruit, but the price is unstable. Therefore, from the moment he prepared the land for planting durian, Mr. Tan proactively applied scientific and technical methods to treat the trees so that they would bear fruit out of season, allowing him to sell them at a higher price.

Currently, Mr. Tan's durian orchard is in the young fruit stage and will begin its peak harvest around November of the lunar calendar. Thanks to good care and proper techniques, it is expected that this year, Mr. Tan's durian orchard will yield about 50 tons of fruit, promising a significant income.

"If durian trees are allowed to bear fruit naturally (in March-April of the lunar calendar), everyone will have products to sell, supply will exceed demand, and prices will drop. Therefore, to avoid oversupply, we must cultivate durian trees to bear fruit out of season. The selling price will be higher, and profits will be 1.5-2 times higher than in the main season due to the scarcity of supply," Mr. Tan shared.

The out-of-season durian tree is bearing abundant fruit in the garden of Mr. Cao Van Tan, Binh Thanh hamlet, Thoai Son commune, An Giang province.

Pointing to an off-season durian tree laden with fruit, Mr. Tan said: "This tree has over 100 fruits, averaging 100,000 VND per fruit. So, just one tree like this brings in over 10 million VND, many times more than rice and other crops." He anticipates selling the off-season durian at 70,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, Mr. Tan's family could earn billions of VND.

Given the economic benefits and the experience accumulated in inducing off-season fruiting, Mr. Tan's durian orchard has been selected by Thoai Son commune as a model for local people to visit, learn from, and share experiences, thereby contributing to the development of the local economy.

New direction in crop structure transformation

Leading us on a tour of Mr. Tan's off-season durian orchard, laden with fruit and only about a month away from harvest, Mr. Mai Tan Nhung, an agricultural extension officer in Thoai Son commune (An Giang province), explained that durian is a very difficult crop to cultivate, requiring a thorough understanding of its characteristics. Therefore, to ensure sustainable success, farmers need to know how to properly nurture and care for the trees, especially those orchards specializing in off-season flowering and fruiting. First, the planting distance for durian trees should be sparse, at 20-25 trees per 1,000 square meters. During cultivation, priority should be given to applying organic fertilizer to keep the soil loose and porous, and only essential micronutrients should be added to help the trees supplement nutrients during the fruiting stage…

After 4 years of cultivation, each durian tree costs an average of 6-7 million VND (excluding land costs) to achieve stable yields, but after just a few harvests, the orchard owner can recoup their investment and earn a profit of 0.5-1 billion VND/hectare per year, depending on the selling price.

Mr. Nhưng believes that the Thoại Sơn area is perfectly suitable for growing durian, with good soil conditions, fertile land, low fertilizer costs, a closed dike system to prevent flooding, and ease of management to encourage off-season fruiting.

Mr. Cao Van Tan inspects off-season durian fruit in his family's garden in Binh Thanh hamlet, Thoai Son commune, An Giang province.

Currently, Thoai Son commune has over 16.3 hectares of durian trees; of which 8 hectares are bearing fruit out of season. The local authorities strongly support models like this and only encourage farmers to plant within three-crop dike areas, avoiding expansion in flood-prone areas.

"Today's farmers who want to get rich must know and readily apply science and technology to production. What crop to grow is not as important as understanding and committing to it; don't rush to plant and then cut it down just because the selling price fluctuates," Mr. Nhung emphasized.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Diep, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thoai Son commune (An Giang province), Mr. Tan's model of growing durian for off-season fruiting on low-yield rice land has opened up a new direction for the locality in transforming the structure of crops and livestock, especially for households with little arable land or mixed garden land.

“Growing durian out of season yields high economic returns, but also carries many risks, so a comprehensive assessment is necessary. In terms of profit, off-season durian sells for 2-3 times the price of in-season durian due to limited supply while demand for consumption and export is high. Off-season production helps to allocate harvesting time rationally, reduce pressure from oversupply, and increase the ability to maintain a stable export market year-round, creating a competitive advantage for farmers and businesses. However, economic efficiency is only achieved when growers invest in the right techniques and manage risks well,” Mr. Diep advised.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Diep, Chairman of the Thoai Son Commune People's Committee, durian is a new specialty fruit of the locality and a high-value agricultural product. To maximize the economic potential of orchards and promote the transformation of crop and livestock structures, especially for households with limited arable land or unproductive mixed orchards, the Thoai Son Commune is coordinating with the Department of Agriculture and Environment and other relevant units to organize training courses and workshops to update advanced intensive farming solutions and improve farming skills for farmers. They are also guiding farmers to choose good varieties, plan orchards using proper techniques, and facilitate the application of intensive farming techniques and the easy and convenient sale of agricultural products at high prices.

In addition, we encourage farmers to establish cooperatives and associations for durian production according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards. Simultaneously, we support the development of applications for planting area codes, aiming to create sustainable raw material areas to serve both domestic and export markets.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/thu-tien-ty-tu-trong-sau-rieng-nghich-vu-tren-dat-lua-kem-hieu-qua-20251113083106716.htm