Sustainable pepper farming

15 year old pepper still gives high yield

Previously, in Thanh Binh town, Bu Dop district, every household grew pepper, now only a few households do. Partly due to low prices, partly due to traditional garden cultivation, using a lot of chemical fertilizers, the plants have a short lifespan. However, the households that maintain and stick with pepper plants all have relatively large areas. The most impressive is the household of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lien in Thanh Binh town who still maintains a pepper garden over 15 years old with 3,000 poles. The plants are green and healthy, with an average yield of 2.5-3kg/pole. The pepper garden is large but only about 50 poles have died. This is the result of applying the process of planting and caring for pepper gardens in a sustainable organic direction.

Mrs. Lien's pepper garden is 15 years old but still green and productive.

Ms. Lien shared: “The family’s pepper garden is cared for by the district’s agricultural extension officers. The officers came to the garden to advise the family to fertilize the plants with manure, organic fertilizer, and microorganisms. When we first started organic farming, the yield was not high, but in return, the plants grew well and gave stable yields. Thanks to that, the peppercorns are firmer and heavier than those grown traditionally.”

Master Do Huu Duc, technical officer of the Agricultural Service Center of Bu Dop district, said: Pepper belongs to the climbing family and is sensitive to external influences. Therefore, if chemical fertilizers are applied, the plant will grow quickly but will also decline quickly and will not be durable. When the root system is affected, the plant will be damaged and pests will easily attack, leading to the risk of killing the plant and reducing productivity.

According to Master Do Huu Duc, Ms. Lien's family is a typical example of organic pepper farming in the locality. There was a period of drought but Ms. Lien's pepper garden still grew well and had stable productivity. Over the years, the center has often chosen this pepper garden and 2-3 other models to organize field workshops, instruct and share organic farming methods with pepper growers in the district.

“Growing pepper organically brings many benefits, using very little fertilizer and chemical pesticides, the soil is not hardened, maintains its looseness and fertility, creating durability for the plant to grow. At the same time, the health of farmers is well protected, and the products delivered to consumers are guaranteed to be safe and hygienic,” Ms. Lien shared.

Create dual income

In Dong Phu district, growing pepper to develop the family economy is also the choice of many farmers. However, to develop pepper plants sustainably, limit pests and diseases, and produce high yields, combine intercropping and apply many effective solutions to increase value on the same area, the household of Mr. Duong Van Phe in Hamlet 4, Tan Lap commune is a typical example.

With 1 hectare of pumpkin intercropped with the pepper garden, the family of Mr. Duong Van Phe, Hamlet 4, Tan Lap Commune, Dong Phu District earns an average of nearly 1 million VND/day.

Having been involved with pepper since 1996, Mr. Phe has now gained a lot of experience in investing and taking care of a pepper garden of more than 7,000 poles. What is special about this farmer is that he grows pepper in both Dak Nong and Binh Phuoc provinces. Because pepper is grown in two completely different soil and climate conditions, Mr. Phe has learned from experience and promoted the advantages of each locality in his family's pepper garden.

Mr. Duong Van Phe's pepper garden (right cover) is invested in and cared for organically, is green all year round, and has high productivity, ranking first in Tan Lap commune as well as Dong Phu district.

Mr. Phe affirmed: Pepper is a difficult crop, cannot withstand waterlogging but needs a lot of water. Therefore, when growing organic pepper, the weeds growing all over the garden will help keep the soil moist. The source of organic fertilizer applied in sufficient doses will provide nutrients and also create a suitable environment to help pepper plants have long-term vitality, firm, spicy and delicious seeds.

Mr. Phe's large pepper garden grows two varieties of Vinh Linh and Indian pepper. Cultivated in an organic manner, he uses organic fertilizer to fertilize the plants. All the pepper poles are made of live bamboo. Instead of keeping each pepper pole 3-4m high, Mr. Phe keeps it 5m high. The pepper poles grow luxuriantly, with an average yield of more than 5kg/pole and 1 hectare yields 7-9 tons of dry pepper.

Weeds in Mr. Phe's pepper garden are controlled by a lawn mower, without affecting the roots or affecting the pepper plants.

“After many years of farming, I see that Binh Phuoc is still a fertile and very good land. When the pepper plant is in the flowering stage, if the temperature is suitable, it will bear a lot of fruit; on the contrary, if the weather is unfavorable, sunny or rainy, it will be locust (sparse seeds). The solution is to increase the application of biological and organic fertilizers to nourish the flowers. If it rains a lot, the roots are low and waterlogged, so you have to dig them out; if it is sunny, you have to cover the roots again,” Mr. Phe shared.

On pepper growing land, intercropping wild peanuts to attract natural enemies and maintain humidity is a popular choice of many pepper growers. However, Mr. Phe boldly intercropped pumpkin to sell vegetable tops. After 2 months of planting, pumpkin will be harvested for more than 3 months. With a retail price of 40-45 thousand VND/kg and a wholesale price of 25 thousand VND/kg, Mr. Phe's family has an additional income of nearly 1 million VND/day, equal to or even higher than the income from 1 hectare of rubber being exploited. After harvesting, the remaining parts of the pumpkin plant are cut and piled at the base to maintain humidity and add organic matter to the pepper garden.

There are currently about 100 hectares of pepper being exploited in the commune. Mr. Duong Van Phe's pepper garden is a local model. In addition to the organic care process, I am particularly impressed with the way of intercropping pumpkins for shoots in Mr. Phe's pepper garden. The pepper is clean, the vegetables are also clean, and importantly, there is a very high additional source of income. Pumpkin plants help increase humidity, attract natural enemies, and when liquidated, they become fertilizer for pepper. This can be considered one of the effective pepper growing models for people to learn and apply.

Chairman of Tan Lap Commune Farmers' Association Nguyen Van Chuyen

Although he cultivates thousands of pepper poles in 2 provinces with a distance of hundreds of kilometers, thanks to the camera system installed throughout the garden, Mr. Phe can monitor and manage the pepper garden anytime, anywhere. With a scientific and reasonable way of planting and managing pepper gardens, Mr. Phe has created a model that brings many benefits from pepper cultivation.

Currently, the price of dry pepper on the market fluctuates at a high level, over 156 thousand VND/kg. In particular, pepper grown organically, meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards always has a much higher price. The increase in pepper prices also motivates growers to invest in and take care of pepper gardens, contributing to building an environmentally friendly agriculture, protecting health, increasing farmers' income, ensuring food safety and hygiene, and contributing to the sustainable development of the province's agriculture sector.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/169073/canh-tac-ho-tieu-ben-vung