Stable income from cocoa growing

Thanks to cocoa growing, many farmers in Quang Tri commune, Da Huoai district have a good income.

We visited the cocoa growing model of Mrs. Vu Thi Tuat, 55 years old, in Village 4, Quang Tri commune at the time when her family was preparing to harvest the cocoa crop this week. Mrs. Tuat said that throughout the past year, the purchase price of fresh cocoa fruit has remained stable at 15,000 VND/kg, making growers like her family very excited. She said that since 2007, her family has introduced cocoa trees for experimental planting and considered it a major economic development step. After nearly 20 years, although the price of cocoa has fluctuated at times, it has basically brought quite high economic efficiency compared to other crops present in the locality. According to Mrs. Tuat, in the early days of planting, her family encountered many difficulties because there are many varieties of cocoa, and when brought to a new land, the planting techniques are also more difficult. However, with determination, diligence and meticulous care, this new crop has grown and developed very well. Currently, with 5,000 ^m2 of cocoa growing, Ms. Tuat's family harvests fresh fruit once a week, with an average yield of 400 - 500 kg, earning 6 - 7.5 million VND.

Similarly, with 8,000 ^m2 of cocoa trees, on average each week, Mr. Vo Tuong's household in Village 4, Quang Tri Commune is also earning tens of millions of VND. According to Mr. Tuong, cocoa is a very easy plant to grow and care for with many advantages such as: low investment costs, easy care and year-round fruiting. This is a crop that has brought high economic efficiency to farmers in the commune in recent times. The fact that cocoa prices have remained high in recent times has made cocoa growers very happy. In particular, in the past few years, the purchase of products for people has also been very convenient, when people finish harvesting, the company's vehicles will come to the garden to transport them. "Previously, I was still worried about the price dropping when the harvest was good, but when I participated in the organic cocoa production model, the output was guaranteed by the company, so I was very secure," said Mr. Tuong.

According to Mr. Tuong, when choosing cocoa trees for economic development, people need to choose the variety very carefully. To harvest, cocoa needs to be planted for about 3-5 years. Therefore, choosing good and disease-free varieties is of great significance, and needs to be paid close attention to avoid wasting time, effort and money but not getting really satisfactory results.

Mr. Ha Vinh Du - Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Commune People's Committee said that recently, cocoa has been purchased at a stable price, and growers have had a good income. From here, a cocoa growing cooperative in the commune has been formed, playing a key role in bringing cocoa trees to take root in Quang Tri commune. Currently, in the area, a number of units have also organized production and linked to purchase, pre-process, and supply raw materials to businesses. Currently, the whole Quang Tri commune has about 5 hectares of cocoa, with more than a dozen households cultivating it. While the prices of many other fruit trees fluctuate constantly, the cocoa price is purchased very stably, and growers have a good income. Thanks to that, people are interested in expanding the area of ​​this crop.

According to Mr. Ha Vinh Du, with the economic efficiency, in recent times, Quang Tri commune has also included cocoa in the group of key crops and encouraged farmers to switch crops in suitable places. At the same time, to develop cocoa sustainably and in depth, the People's Committee of Quang Tri commune has also researched and worked with businesses purchasing and processing products to form a value chain from production to consumers; at the same time, strengthening production links with businesses to ensure stable output, helping farmers feel secure in production.

According to the assessment of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Da Huoai district, cocoa trees are currently showing great potential in Quang Tri commune in particular and Da Huoai in general. If properly invested, the potential for development of this crop is great. The increase in cocoa prices has helped people increase their income, improve their lives, thereby giving them more motivation to stick with their gardens and pay more attention to investing and caring for cocoa in the direction of improving quality and sustainable production.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202504/thu-nhap-on-dinh-nho-trong-ca-cao-ff87329/