Bringing star apples to the mountains to grow, Khanh Hoa woman harvested beautiful, delicious fruits, recognized as 3-star OCOP

After many years, Ms. Le Thi Kim Thanh brought the star apple variety to the mountainous area in Suoi Lach village, Khanh Trung commune, Khanh Vinh district (Khanh Hoa) to grow. Up to now, the tree has produced fruit, and the product has also been certified as a 3-star OCOP.

Taking us on a tour of a large garden of dozens of hectares of various plants, Ms. Le Thi Kim Thanh (Suoi Lach village, Khanh Trung commune, Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa) said she was very happy that the mica milk fruit variety had produced sweet fruit.

Một phụ nữ đưa giống vú sữa lên vùng núi trồng, quả ra đẹp lại đạt sản phẩm OCOP - Ảnh 1. — Ms. Le Thi Kim Thanh (Khanh Trung commune, Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa) is taking care of the golden star apple tree. Photo: Cong Tam

Ms. Thanh said that in her garden of over 10 hectares, she grows quality fruit varieties such as: Rambutan, green-skinned grapefruit, pomegranate, mango, jackfruit, longan, sapodilla, mangosteen, dragon fruit, orange, cherry. However, her favorite are still the two varieties of golden star apple and mica star apple.

Ms. Thanh said that each type of star apple has different colors and delicious flavors, and weighs from 0.8 - 1.1 kg/fruit. These two varieties of star apple are popular in the market, especially the mica star apple variety which has been granted a 3-star OCOP certification and it is expected that in 2025, the golden star apple product will continue to be included in the OCOP product list.

Một phụ nữ đưa giống vú sữa lên vùng núi trồng, quả ra đẹp lại đạt sản phẩm OCOP - Ảnh 2. — Mica star apple variety has achieved 3-star OCOP certification in 2024.

Ms. Thanh shared that at first, her family only cleared the land and bought 200 mica milk fruit trees to plant on a trial basis to see if they were suitable for the local soil. After a period of planting, the trees bore many fruits and were lush, so they continued to expand and up to now, she has 1.5 hectares of this milk fruit tree variety.

According to Ms. Thanh, this type of mica milk fruit tree grows quickly, bears fruit early, and especially the fruit has no latex, thick flesh, sweet taste, thin skin, which are factors that make it popular with consumers.

Một phụ nữ đưa giống vú sữa lên vùng núi trồng, quả ra đẹp lại đạt sản phẩm OCOP - Ảnh 3. — Mica star apples are ripening in the garden of Ms. Le Thi Kim Thanh.

Ms. Le Thi Kim Thanh is currently the Director of Khanh Trung Green Agriculture Cooperative, Khanh Vinh District. In 2024, the Cooperative will have 3 products achieving 3-star OCOP including: Mica star apple, Ama Cuu wine and Rubi guava.

Một phụ nữ đưa giống vú sữa lên vùng núi trồng, quả ra đẹp lại đạt sản phẩm OCOP - Ảnh 4. — In addition to growing guava and star apple, Ms. Thanh's family also grows green-skinned grapefruit. Photo: Cong Tam

According to the leader of Khanh Trung Commune People's Committee, the organic farming model of Ms. Thanh's family is really effective, creating conditions for members and farmers to learn from experience in the production process to escape poverty. At the same time, it is also a highlight to attract tourists from inside and outside the province to visit and experience clean agricultural products in the garden.