Mr. Phan Manh Cuong, has given up a salary of several thousand dollars per month to go to the mountains to grow organic tomatoes. With his efforts and passion for agriculture, Mr. Cuong has been contributing to awakening the cold land on the Sin Ho plateau (Lai Chau).
When winter comes, the entire Sin Ho plateau is immersed in cold. Thanks to the temperate climate, vegetables can be grown here all year round.
Mr. Cuong has cooperated with My Dao Cooperative (Sin Ho town) to rent 20 hectares of land to grow clean vegetables. His efforts and perseverance have been rewarded and he has reaped sweet fruits.
Organic tomato garden yields over 100 tons/ha
Mr. Cuong’s vast organic tomato garden is located at the foot of the mountain in Zone 1, Sin Ho town. The row of greenhouses appears amidst the clouds and mountains. Inside the greenhouses, rows of tomatoes are stretching straight in the early morning sun.
Every tree was laden with fruit from the base to the top. Clusters of ripe red fruit clung to the tree trunks. Several local workers were busy picking tomatoes.
Mr. Cuong grows organic tomatoes in a greenhouse. (Photo: Thanh Ngan)
Meeting Mr. Cuong in the middle of the windy plateau, the young man born in Dong Anh district (Hanoi) was working with us to pack tomatoes onto a truck. Each basket of large, ripe, red tomatoes was stacked neatly. "The tomato season is coming to an end, so we have to finish harvesting before Tet," Mr. Cuong said while chatting with us.
Perhaps no one believes that Mr. Cuong is a gardener and also a driver, salesman, receiving goods, closing orders... He does everything as if God did not give him enough time to work.
Each box of tomatoes was neatly packed and loaded onto the truck. He quickly took out his laptop to receive orders from his partners. The image of the boss sitting in the middle of the organic tomato garden closing the deal made everyone admire him. His 2-hectare tomato garden was covered by a greenhouse system. According to Mr. Cuong, he has only grown 2 hectares of tomatoes.
This is the first crop he has planted. So far he has harvested more than 200 tons. All products are distributed to major supermarkets in Hanoi, at a price of 18,000 VND/kg. For the Dao and Mong people here, they have never seen a tomato field with such a high yield.
This is the first crop of organic tomatoes Mr. Cuong has grown on the Sin Ho plateau. (Photo: Xuan Tuan)
Mr. Cuong shared: "Customers from everywhere placed orders but the garden did not have enough quantity. I also did not expect that tomato plants would grow and produce such delicious quality when grown in Sin Ho soil." While speaking, Mr. Cuong took the opportunity to show us around the garden.
This is the first tomato crop he planted in Sin Ho. He researched and learned organic tomato growing techniques himself, without the need for any technical staff. This is also the first crop he has participated in as a farmer. Yet, every row of tomatoes in the garden is healthy and bears fruit.
He has to use vines to support each bunch of fruit on each tree. The tomato farm yields 200 tons. This huge output may increase because the harvest will not be finished until Tet.
To have the garden as it is now, Mr. Cuong also went through many difficulties. The day he received the land, this place was just a rice field of the local people. There were no roads, no electricity. As soon as he started working, he hired an excavator to clear the road.
Next, I hired someone to set up the electric poles. Next, I hired a plow to prepare the soil. "I sprinkled lime powder and dried the soil. Next, I used the machine to make the banks and beds. To help the plants grow well, I bought several hundred tons of composted chicken manure and used the machine to sprinkle it into each bed," Mr. Cuong shared.
Mr. Cuong's tomato garden is full of fruit. (Photo: Thanh Ngan)
On the day of planting tomatoes, Mr. Cuong was worried, not knowing if his organic method would be effective. He stayed at the farm all day, working, learning and gaining experience.
Every day, watching the tomato plants grow leaves, then flowers, bear fruit, and then wait for the fruit to ripen to see the quality, occupied his mind. After more than 3 months, the tomato garden began to yield harvest. He picked the big, ripe red tomatoes with trembling hands: "This is the result of a whole year's effort. I brought the tomato products for testing. They were assessed to meet organic standards. What's even more exciting is that the quality of the tomatoes tastes much better than those grown in the plains," Cuong shared.
The results were beyond expectations, the day he transported the tomatoes to the capital to deliver to his partners, they were very satisfied. The selling price is from 18,000 VND/kg. The selling price in the off-season is even higher. After 3 months of harvesting, it can be confirmed that tomato plants grow well in the cold highlands.
Mr. Cuong's tomato garden has a yield of more than 100 tons/ha. (Photo: Xuan Tuan)
The first tomato crop was successful beyond expectations, Mr. Cuong has reaped the sweet fruits of his tireless efforts. Going to inspect the farm with Mr. Cuong, I felt even more his determination higher than the mountains.
Before finding the land he wanted, he spent many days convincing the Mong and Dao people here to lease the land to him at a relatively high price of 30 to 40 million VND/ha/year.
After harvesting tomatoes, he planted American celery - a vegetable used to make juice and is a hot seller in the capital. "This year I plan to increase the tomato growing area to 5 hectares. Tomatoes are grown organically, so all the products can be consumed."
In addition, Mr. Cuong also plans to guide the people here to grow tomatoes. He will provide fertilizer, seeds and technical guidance for the people. This association will make the most of local resources.
Engage in agriculture
Mr. Cuong creates jobs and stable income for many local workers. (Photo: Thanh Ngan)
Mr. Cuong was born and raised in the suburbs of Dong Anh district - a famous vegetable growing area in Hanoi. From a young age, he pursued a career in books and passed the entrance exam to the University of Commerce.
Cuong's wish to pursue this industry is to travel here and there, to be accepted into large corporations with salaries of several tens of millions of dong per month. As he wished, during his ten years of working for hire, he has worked for many large foreign corporations, with a monthly salary equal to that of a farmer working all year.
His salary and job are the dream of many people. Back home, his wife has also opened a company and found a distributor for agricultural products in supermarkets. Her income is not less than her husband's. Their life is always abundant.
However, 2 years ago, he quit his job and stayed home with his wife to run the company. During his time working with the distribution of agricultural products, he gradually came up with the idea of finding a piece of land to start a vegetable growing business.
Grown and cared for organically, Mr. Cuong's tomato garden grows and develops well, producing a lot of fruit. (Photo: Xuan Tuan)
"Communicating with large importers, I realized that the demand for organic products will gradually increase, especially for vegetables, tubers, and fruits. The market demand is very large, but there are very few manufacturers that can meet this demand," said Mr. Cuong about the reason for leaving the city to go to the mountains to grow vegetables.
From idea to field implementation is a long way. He also took the trouble to travel all over the Northern provinces to find land to grow clean vegetables. Wandering through many regions, many famous vegetable growing spots such as Moc Chau (Son La), Sa Pa (Lao Cai) ... those places where finding a large area is very difficult.
Fate brought him to the Sin Ho plateau. Looking at the vast fields stretching across the cold land, he was as happy as if he had found gold.
The climate here is cool all year round, especially in the summer. The source flows. Moreover, the undeveloped land is very suitable for growing clean vegetables. He has cooperated with the local My Dao Cooperative to grow vegetables and herbs.
With his passion for agriculture, Mr. Cuong has had initial success in growing organic tomatoes on the Sin Ho plateau. In the first crop, Mr. Cuong earned billions of dong from selling fresh, delicious tomatoes to the market.
Source: https://danviet.vn/day-la-vuon-ca-chua-ra-trai-qua-troi-do-trai-thu-do-trong-o-son-la-trai-qua-troi-thu-tien-ty-nam-20250207164658825.htm
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