Tien Giang Tree climbers use a knife handle to tap on the bark, observing the skin color, thorns, and fruit stem to harvest quality durian, earning millions of dong every day.
Early in the morning at the end of November, the 4,000 m2 durian garden in Phu Quy commune, Cai Lay town, resounded with the "clacking" sound mixed with the laughter of the harvesters. Above the tree, Dang Quoc Tan, 28 years old, used the handle of a knife to knock around the durian fruit, then used a knife to cut the stem. The ripe fruit fell into a plastic basket, which was caught by another person standing at the base.
Dang Quoc Tan uses the handle of a knife to tap around the durian shell to check the quality before cutting. Photo: Hoang Nam
Tien Giang is the "capital" of durian in the West with an area of 18,000 hectares, in Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town. Currently, 10,000 hectares have produced fruit with an average yield of 26.4 tons per hectare. Gardeners here are in the off-season durian harvest season, which lasts until January next year, with an output of about 200,000 tons. Monthong durian is purchased by traders at the garden at a price of 130,000-145,000 VND per kilo.
After about 4 hours, Tan and a group of 5-6 people finished harvesting nearly 4 tons of ripe durian. Even with protective gloves, this young man's hands were still covered with scars from thorns after many years. His unprotected arms and legs were scratched by thorns in many places.
Four years ago, Tan was a truck driver transporting durians for traders. Having met a group of high-income durian pickers many times, he asked to join them and learn. Initially, apprentices like Tan were assigned to stand under the tree and use baskets to catch the fruit. The cutters would gradually instruct them on how to distinguish ripe, old, and young durians based on the sound they made when tapping on the shell.
"The ripe fruit has a dry and shriveled skin, and there are hollow spaces inside, so when tapped, it makes a rattling sound that resonates far away. On the contrary, the young fruit has a solid core, so it makes a popping sound," Tan said, adding that the cutters can also distinguish ripe durians by their yellow or green skin, dry and dark thorny feet and tips, and the swollen stem neck, as well as some other characteristics specific to each type of durian.
Gardeners in Phu Quy commune use wheelbarrows to push durian from the garden to the gathering point to wait for traders to weigh it. Photo: Hoang Nam
Normally, the purchasing unit will set a limit of 30-50 kg of low-quality durian per ton, and will not accept unripe fruit. However, many new workers without experience often mistakenly cut unripe durian and have to pay compensation. "It takes about 2 years to become a professional durian cutter," Tan said, adding that in addition to being a cutter, he also buys durian in small quantities from the garden, selling about 4-7 tons a day to warehouses.
According to Mr. Tan, each durian garden will be divided into two harvest periods, each about a week apart. In addition to the main season, the area of durian in the off-season also increases rapidly, so the harvesters have work all year round. When the durian season in Tien Giang ends, after Tet, they will continue to operate in the Can Tho and Soc Trang areas, and at the end of the season, they will move to Dak Lak and Lam Dong.
Although there are still cutters in other regions, durian prices are high at peak times, so when purchasing, traders often bring a team of local cutters who have worked together for many years. "With a price of 130,000 VND per kilo, a 5-6 kg durian costs 600,000-800,000 VND, so traders still use familiar cutters because they trust them," said Mr. Tan.
Mr. Nguyen Tan My, with more than 9 years of experience, uses his bare hands to cut durian. Photo: Hoang Nam
With more than 9 years of experience, durian cutter Nguyen Tan My, 26 years old, from Hoi Xuan commune, said that the durian area in the East is large, each day can harvest hundreds of tons, so the cutter will calculate the labor cost by the kilogram. Depending on the harvest on the spot or transport to the warehouse, the labor cost per kilogram is from 1,500 VND to 3,000 VND and the cutter will have to compensate for the entire amount of durian that was accidentally cut prematurely.
If the tree is not too tall, a veteran worker like Mr. My can cut up to 10 tons of durian per day. On the contrary, in the West, durian production is lower, workers are usually paid by the day, at 1-1.5 million VND.
Because of the attractive salary, many young people in the area who are tree trimmers have also started to learn the durian cutting profession. But for skilled trimmers like Mr. My, this job also has many potential risks. A week ago, while climbing a tree at a height of about 3 meters, he slipped but luckily fell onto a tree branch, so he only suffered minor injuries.
"Last year, a member of the group was standing hidden in the foliage, the cutter above couldn't see him so he threw a durian that hit him in the face, requiring nearly 10 stitches," said Mr. My.
Hoang Nam
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