Organic durian farming combined with ecotourism.

Recently, agro-tourism and eco-tourism have become a new trend attracting many visitors. This type of tourism has great potential in Binh Thuan province because it is linked to characteristic crops such as grapes, apples, dragon fruit, vegetables, and durian. Therefore, many farmers have begun to exploit this advantage, utilizing their family's orchards for agricultural tourism, contributing to increasing the value of agricultural products and improving farmers' income.

Clean production

During our business trip to La Dạ, one of the four communes in Hàm Thuận Bắc district that are concentrated durian-growing areas, we visited the durian orchard of Mr. Nguyễn Văn Trung's family in Hamlet 3. The orchard covers more than 2 hectares with 450 trees over 7 years old and another 2 hectares of 4-year-old trees, all in the process of being nurtured. Mr. Trung's orchard is one of the few in the area that practices organic farming, equipped with a well-organized automatic drip irrigation system.

Mr. Trung (in the green shirt) and other farmers in the area listen to technical advice and share experiences on how to use organic fertilizer.

Mr. Trung's orchard had its first harvest in July-August 2024, but the yield was not as expected due to the hot weather in the early months of the year, lack of irrigation water, and widespread drought, which significantly affected the harvest. Therefore, to prepare for the next harvest next year, Mr. Trung is taking meticulous care of his orchard. Although he started growing durian later than other households in the area, Mr. Trung always aims for clean production, prioritizing the use of biological products to care for his durian trees, ensuring quality and minimizing pests and diseases. Mr. Trung said: "To ensure sustainable durian development, secure stable prices from buyers, and maintain the reputation of growers, we must focus on improving quality and adhering to proper care procedures. This is the long-term goal of my family in particular and local farmers in general, whether for export or domestic consumption."

However, in reality, some people still overuse chemical pesticides, paying little attention to the use of organic fertilizers and biological pesticides, leading to durians of unsatisfactory appearance and quality for export. Therefore, the majority of durians are sold on a small scale to traders for domestic consumption (accounting for 70%) and exported through informal channels to the Chinese market (about 30%).

Mr. Trung's durian orchard is cultivated organically and uses a drip irrigation system.

We will develop ecotourism .

Representatives from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, several businesses, cooperatives, and relevant professional departments visited Mr. Trung's durian orchard to provide technical training, share experiences, and demonstrate the use of drones in the orchard. Since the orchard is currently in the tree nurturing phase, Mr. Trung, the businesses, and the experts shared their secrets and experiences with local farmers to ensure a good durian yield in the next season.

“Each stage of durian growth requires different care and fertilization methods. In particular, it's essential to understand the plant's physiology, know how to keep the fruit on the branches during sudden heavy rains or excessive heat, have timely methods for dealing with 'heat shock,' and proactively provide nutrients to the plant to ensure round, beautiful fruit. With an average durian price of 50,000 – 55,000 VND/kg, a hectare yielding 20-25 tons is profitable for farmers,” Mr. Trung further shared. The fact that businesses are going to individual orchards and collaborating with farmers to understand and implement organic durian cultivation and care models is a positive sign for sustainable, clean agricultural production.

Demonstrating drone spraying of pesticides on durian orchards helps save labor and ensures uniform tree growth.

It is known that the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has applied the "Intensive durian cultivation model meeting VietGAP standards through chain linkage" on a scale of 40 hectares at the Da Mi Agricultural Production, Business and Service Cooperative; with an organic and biological production process, using electronic production logs to trace the origin of the product. Through this, the center aims to transfer advanced techniques according to VietGAP standards for safe production through chain linkage to other growing areas in Ham Thuan Bac district, helping farmers increase economic efficiency compared to conventional production by 15-20%. From there, the model of intensive durian cultivation according to VietGAP standards will be expanded annually in key areas of the province.

Mr. Trung shared his experiences for each stage of durian growth.

That is also Mr. Trung's wish: to gradually bring his durian orchard to VietGAP standards for sustainable output. At the same time, in the near future, Mr. Trung plans to combine it with ecotourism when the durian orchard is in harvest season. Tourists can visit the durian orchard, enjoy coffee, sample durian on-site, go fishing, and participate in other recreational activities. Currently, Mr. Trung is in the process of renovating the orchard, preparing it to welcome visitors next summer.

Mr. Trung plans to combine his durian orchard with ecotourism when it's in harvest season.

Combining agricultural production with ecotourism not only enriches tourism options but also gives farmers the opportunity to promote their local durian brand. This contributes to achieving the agricultural sector's goal of transforming from a production-oriented agricultural mindset to an agricultural-based economy.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/la-da-trong-sau-rieng-huu-co-ket-hop-du-lich-sinh-thai-126231.html