Organic durian billionaire

With 30 years of experience in durian cultivation, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh in Hamlet 4, Dai Hai Commune, Can Tho City now earns billions of VND annually. As the market demands increasingly high-quality, clean products, Mr. Hoang Anh quickly shifted to organic durian farming, applying science, technology, and biological products to reduce production costs, increase profits, and ensure consumer health.

A 30-year-old durian tree in Mr. Hoang Anh's garden.

Mr. Hoang Anh recounted that in 1992, his parents gave him 5 acres of land for rice cultivation combined with livestock and poultry farming. At that time, rice yields were low, so income was very unstable, barely enough to cover daily meals. Meanwhile, in the locality, other crops were almost unprofitable and often faced the situation of "planting only to cut down" (referring to the inability to cultivate and then harvest).

Faced with the challenge of increasing income and improving his family's living standards, Mr. Hoang Anh constantly pondered how to cultivate crops suitable for the local soil and was determined to escape poverty. After a long period of research, he realized that durian was the crop with the most potential. The older the tree, the higher the yield, and it was well-suited to the land where he lived, so he decided to commit to this crop. In 1995, he went to the former Ben Tre province to buy 100 Dona and Ri6 durian saplings to plant as a trial.

Mr. Hoang Anh said that because he put so much effort into it, from the beginning he chose disease-free durian varieties with clear origins and guaranteed quality. In the early stages, the durian orchard developed very well. But when the trees grew, especially when they bore fruit, due to a lack of solid technical knowledge and planting based on intuition, he began to encounter problems. “In the first two years, the fruit yielded low productivity and was tough. The difficulties didn't stop there; as a pioneer in Dai Hai commune in growing durian, I faced difficulties with the 'market.' Because businesses and traders hadn't connected, they didn't come to buy,” Mr. Hoang Anh shared.

Undeterred, Mr. Hoang Anh continued to research, learn, and gradually perfect his techniques, improving the quality of his durian. As a result, many traders and businesses learned about his farm and came directly to his orchard. Once he recovered his initial investment and made a profit, Mr. Hoang Anh expanded his durian plantation to 2 hectares, with 400 trees, including 50 trees that are 30 years old.

In 2022, Mr. Hoang Anh's total durian sales revenue reached 1.71 billion VND, resulting in a profit of 1.6 billion VND after deducting all expenses. In 2023, revenue reached 1.85 billion VND, with a profit of 1.7 billion VND, and by 2024, durian sales revenue reached 2.11 billion VND, with a profit of 1.9 billion VND.

According to Mr. Hoang Anh, to ensure good tree growth and high yields, in addition to relying on the traditional "first water, second fertilizer, third care, fourth seeds" principle, farmers must boldly apply scientific and technical methods to production. Since 2015, he has gradually shifted towards bio-safe farming practices, linking them with environmental protection. Particularly in the last two years, with the downward trend in durian prices, he has implemented various cost-cutting measures while maintaining consistent yields and high fruit quality. Specifically, he has reduced fertilizer use and the number of pesticide applications (only spraying when absolutely necessary), and increased the application of humic acid and trichoderma preparations to enhance the tree's resistance and nutrient absorption capacity.

“Two years ago, I completely switched to organic farming under a support program from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang province (formerly). Thanks to this, I have gained four benefits: Firstly, it preserves soil fertility and increases the lifespan of the trees. Secondly, it provides stable yields and saves on investment costs. Thirdly, it reduces losses and produces higher quality fruit with a characteristic fragrant and rich flavor. Fourthly, it helps protect my health, the health of consumers, and the environment,” said Mr. Hoang Anh.

Inspired by Mr. Hoang Anh's successful durian farming model, over the past 10 years, people in Dai Hai commune have gradually shifted from mixed orchards to durian cultivation. The commune has developed a large-scale durian growing area. To facilitate finding markets for durian, Mr. Hoang Anh gathered 12 farmers and established the Tai Loc Fruit Cooperative in 2015, with a total cultivated area of ​​18 hectares. Currently, the cooperative has 17 members, with a durian cultivation area of ​​28.5 hectares and has registered 4 export codes for durian growing areas to China.

Having risen from poverty himself, Mr. Hoang Anh has always been committed to helping other households in similar circumstances escape poverty. Over the years, he has advised and guided poor and disadvantaged households on production and business techniques, as well as providing them with capital, supplies, and seedlings.

Thanks to these efforts, in 2023, he was honored with a commendation from the Prime Minister for his outstanding achievements in patriotic emulation movements. Recently, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh was selected and honored by the Vietnam Farmers' Association as "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2025".

Text and photos: MY THANH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/ti-phu-sau-rieng-huu-co-a195426.html