Growing noni on vacant land is highly profitable.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, owner of Tuan Linh organic rice farm in Lung Lon hamlet, Hoa Dien commune, utilizes vacant land along the embankments surrounding his rice fields to plant noni trees. This method not only helps to increase windbreaks and soil retention but also provides a considerable income from selling noni fruit to pharmaceutical companies.

Tuan Linh's organic rice farm covers an area of ​​over 500 hectares. Previously, this area was low-lying, acidic land. Mr. Tuan invested in rebuilding a complete irrigation and drainage system and flood control dikes, effectively serving the production of two rice crops per year. Besides the area used for storage, drying ovens, drying yards, and the dike system, Mr. Tuan also utilizes the vacant land within the farm to intercrop noni trees with other fruit trees such as mangoes and coconuts… to diversify crops and improve economic efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, residing in Lung Lon hamlet, Hoa Dien commune, utilizes vacant land to grow and sell noni fruit. Photo: THUY TRANG

Mr. Tuan said that through his research, he learned that the noni tree is a valuable medicinal herb in traditional medicine. “Recently, several localities such as Ca Mau and Ho Chi Minh City have seen many businesses and companies producing and processing noni fruit into various medicinal products and health supplements. Therefore, I boldly decided to plant 40,000 noni trees on the vacant land along the dike surrounding my farm. This will provide shade, act as a windbreak, prevent soil erosion, and allow me to harvest fresh fruit to supply these pharmaceutical companies,” Mr. Tuan shared.

Currently, Mr. Tuan's farm has signed a contract to sell fresh and dried noni fruit with VITAL Investment, Production, Trade and Service Company Limited. Each month, the farm harvests approximately 10-15 tons of fresh noni fruit. The company purchases the entire harvested yield at a price of 7,000 VND/kg.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan (on the left) invested in an electric drying oven to produce dried noni fruit. Photo: THUY TRANG

Besides selling fresh fruit, Mr. Tuan also invested in building a factory to process the noni fruit, hiring workers to slice and dry it in an electric heat dryer. This method helps preserve the fruit for longer, facilitates packaging and transportation, and prevents the fruit from ripening too quickly, which can easily damage or spoil it and affect quality. Dried noni fruit is purchased by the company at a price of about 60,000 VND/kg. It is estimated that the income from noni cultivation brings Mr. Tuan about 100 million VND per month.

Besides rice, the main crop providing the farm's primary income, the noni cultivation model effectively utilizes vacant land, creating a stable source of income and employment for residents of Lung Lon hamlet. "This model is very suitable for households with little land for production, requires little care, and has low investment costs. If people in the hamlet or commune want to plant, I'm willing to share seedlings and provide guidance on planting and caring techniques," Mr. Tuan shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi My Lanh, residing in Lung Lon hamlet and currently working as a processing worker at Mr. Tuan's factory, said: "After harvesting, the noni fruit is washed, sliced, and put into the drying oven by the women. The work is light, simple, and close to home, so I can take advantage of my free time to earn extra income for my family."

Nguyen Thanh Tuan's model of combining noni cultivation with organic rice production not only brings high income but also opens up a sustainable path for many farming households in rural areas. This is a model that needs to be replicated to improve production efficiency and income for farmers.

THUY TRANG

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/trong-nhau-tren-dat-trong-sinh-loi-cao-a427069.html