These days of the 12th lunar month, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh (41 years old) in Quang Lap commune, Don Duong district, is busy with the final stages of harvesting tangerines for Tet.

Currently, Quang Lap commune has about 1.4 hectares of tangerines grown by local people in the harvest season. Of which, Mrs. Quynh's garden has 1 hectare.

In the large garden covered in the golden color of ripe tangerines, Ms. Quynh meticulously checks and selects the best quality fruits before bringing them to market. Every time a visitor visits the garden, she becomes a “tour guide”, showing them how to choose the plump, flavorful fruits to enjoy.

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Tangerine gardens of farmers in Don Duong district are in harvest season for Tet. Photo: XN

Earn hundreds of millions of dong from tangerine garden

Putting the tangerine branch laden with fruit into a net basket, Mrs. Quynh boasted, "The results of my family's hard work have now brought sweet fruit."

She said this garden is 1 hectare wide, previously planted with bananas and some other plants but the results were not very good. They worked very hard to earn enough income to cover their living expenses.

In 2016, during a trip to the West with her husband, Mrs. Quynh realized that tangerine trees could bring high economic efficiency and improve income. Moreover, the Don Duong plateau has a climate, soil and conditions suitable for this type of tree. From there, she and her husband began to research and decided to buy seedlings to bring back to plant.

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Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh - owner of a tangerine garden in Lam Dong plateau. Photo: XN

At first, when she proposed the idea of ​​land use planning and growing tangerines, people were somewhat reluctant. At that time, changing the model was a big problem due to fear of risk and lack of capital.

“At that time, I was also hesitant and afraid that if I failed, I would be stuck with the old model and would have difficulty developing,” the garden owner shared. However, she and her husband still came up with a plan and convinced everyone.

With the family’s consent, the couple relied on their existing capital and borrowed more from outside sources to convert 1 hectare of bananas to grow tangerines. She and her relatives improved the soil, installed a water-saving irrigation system, and then brought in seedlings to plant.

According to Ms. Quynh, at first, due to lack of experience, planting and caring for the trees were difficult. In 2019, after 3 years of cultivation, the first tangerine crop yielded about 1 ton, which was not a very good yield. The tangerine peel was also darkened by frost.

The couple sought out experienced people for advice on planting and care techniques. In the following seasons, the yield and quality of the fruit gradually increased. With this tangerine garden, Mrs. Quynh’s family now harvests 10-15 tons per year.

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Tangerine branches laden with fruit during harvest. Photo: XN

In Lam Dong plateau, tangerines usually ripen from November to the end of February of the following year. In addition to growing tangerines for sale, Ms. Quynh’s family also opens their doors to visitors.

"With a large and beautiful tangerine garden, my siblings and I decided to do tourism , each person in charge of a part" - the highland woman shared.

From the end of 2023, her family will implement a model for tourists to experience under the tangerine canopy. Visitors to the garden are free. Anyone who wants to eat tangerines will choose to cut them to buy, and the garden owner will package them.

The tangerine garden has gradually attracted the attention of many people who come to visit and take pictures. Now there are dozens of visitors coming to the garden every day.

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Tourists visit the tangerine garden. Photo: XN

Last year, her family harvested about 15 tons of tangerines, selling them for 25,000-40,000 VND depending on the time and quality.

"This season, the tangerine yield is higher, we expect to harvest about 17 tons, selling for about 25,000 VND/kg" - the garden owner informed.

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