Growing this fruit, considered the "king of tropical fruits", makes this whole village in Dak Nong rich.

Since switching to growing mangoes - a fruit known as the "king of tropical fruits", the lives of farmers in Cao Lang village, Dak Gan commune, Dak Mil district (Dak Nong province) have gradually changed. The mango orchards are lush, the fruit is heavy on the branches, money comes in regularly, people no longer have to worry about going hungry one day and having enough the next, life is getting better and better.

Mangoes take root, Cao Lang villagers suffer less, business prospers day by day

According to Mr. Ma Van Hung, Head of Cao Lang village, Dak Gan commune, Dak Mil district (Dak Nong), in the past, farmers in the village mainly cultivated short-term crops, such as okra, but the economic efficiency was very low.

The lives of the villagers face many difficulties, the rate of poor and near-poor households in Cao Lang village is up to about 60%.

Large, lush mango gardens in Cao Lang village, Dak Gan commune, Dak Mil district, Dak Nong province. Where people are attached to mango trees as a part of their lives.

However, thanks to the conversion to mango cultivation, the whole village now has only one poor household and eight near-poor households.

The turning point started in 2006 when Mr. Ma Van Hung was one of the pioneers in bringing mango trees to Cao Lang village.

Realizing that this type of tree is suitable for the soil and brings high economic value, by 2012, Dak Mil district supported each household in Dak Gan commune with 4 million VND to buy mango seedlings.

Thanks to that, the mango growing area in Cao Lang village has been constantly expanding. Currently, almost every household owns at least 1 hectare of mango growing land, helping people's lives to improve.

According to Mr. Hung, the biggest challenge in growing mangoes is the stage of stimulating off-season flowering, because it depends a lot on weather conditions. If it rains or is frosty, the fruit set rate will be very low.

However, thanks to efforts and farming experience, villagers have gradually overcome difficulties and improved productivity.

Mr. Ma Van Hung, Chief of Cao Lang village, meticulously examined each mango, checking the quality of each fruit.

Mr. Hung's family currently owns 2 hectares of mango varieties such as Thai, green Taiwanese, and purple Taiwanese, with revenue in 2024 reaching about 400 million VND.

While checking the lush green mango garden, Mr. Dam Van Tien (also a pioneer in growing mango in Cao Lang village) with more than 2 hectares of about 800 mango trees happily said:

"When I first planted it, I was very worried! I didn't know if the soil was suitable, if the plants would grow, and what the output would be. But after planting it for a while, I got used to it, and now the garden is considered stable.

"Each tree yields about 70-80kg per crop. If you save up for the whole year, you can earn around 500 million VND. It's enough to take care of your family and make ends meet," said Mr. Tien.

Mr. Dam Van Tien is talking with Mr. Ho Hai Kieu, Secretary of the Dak Gan Commune Party Committee, about the worry that when the mangoes have just bloomed, they will encounter frost, affecting productivity.

On the way to sell "coconut mangoes" (small fruits only the size of chicken eggs), Mr. Phung Van Quang, in Cao Lang village, happily shared: "My family has nearly 700 mango trees, planted since 2012. At that time, people in the village started to switch to growing mangoes, thanks to which life has become increasingly better.

In 2024, the weather was erratic, prices went up and down, but thanks to the mango garden, my family still earned about 300 million VND. It was hard work, but compared to before, now we don't have to worry much about food and clothing."

Mr. Phung Van Quang, from Cao Lang village, carried four full baskets of mangoes on the back of his motorbike, preparing to take them to the market to sell for extra income.

Ms. Le Thi Hang, in Dak Gan commune, just displayed mangoes on a stall in front of her house to sell, smiling and saying:

"My family has more than 200 mango trees, each year we harvest about 5-7 tons. We pick the mangoes as they ripen, mainly sell them retail and send them to several northern provinces.

Not only mango, I also plant jackfruit, coffee, pepper, and durian. A little bit of each, selling whatever is in season, rotating so that all year round I always have income coming in and out."

Ms. Le Thi Hang's small mango stall right in front of her house displays all kinds of mangoes typical of the commune. The mangoes are big and round, the top ones weighing up to 1.3kg.

From a struggling business, Cao Lang village has now become a high-tech mango growing area.

According to Mr. Ho Hai Kieu, Secretary of the Dak Gan Commune Party Committee, mango is currently the most suitable crop for local soil and climate, bringing good economic efficiency, helping people improve their income and life.

However, despite the obvious benefits, mango growers still face many challenges. Lack of irrigation water in the dry season, fluctuating market prices and high transportation costs due to underdeveloped transport infrastructure are major obstacles.

Mr. Ho Hai Kieu, Secretary of the Dak Gan Commune Party Committee, and people from Cao Lang village visited the mango garden and listened to farmers share about the crop and how to take care of mango trees.

The entire Dak Gan commune currently has 829 hectares of mango plantations, of which 298 hectares have been granted traceability stamps, helping to enhance reputation and competitiveness in the market.

Notably, on December 13, 2024, the People's Committee of Dak Nong province issued Decision No. 1540, recognizing the high-tech mango production area in Dak Gan commune, Dak Mil district.

With a scale of 343 hectares certified by VietGAP, this production area is concentrated in Tan Lap village, Trung Hoa village and Cao Lang village, attracting the participation of 3 organizations (Dak Gan Mango Agricultural Trade Service Cooperative; Co Lang Village VietGAP Mango Cooperative; Dak Gan VietGAP Mango Association) and 254 households. In 2021, Dak Gan mango products were also certified by the Provincial People's Committee as achieving 3-star OCOP.

Currently, the locality mainly develops 5 mango varieties including: green Taiwanese mango (nearly 500ha, accounting for 40%), three-season mango (150ha, 18%), red Taiwanese mango (100ha, 12%), Australian mango (50ha, 6%) and Thai mango (more than 50ha, 6%).

According to the report of Dak Gan Commune People's Committee, the average annual mango harvest of the commune reaches 15,000 - 16,000 tons, contributing to affirming the Dak Gan mango brand in the domestic and export markets.

Thanks to switching to growing mangoes – a fruit known as the “king of tropical fruits” – the lives of people in Cao Lang village, Dak Gan commune, Dak Mil district are increasingly prosperous. Many families have built solid houses, and now there is only one poor household in the whole village.

Thanks to reasonable crop conversion, Cao Lang village has transformed from a poor land into a bright spot in agricultural economic development.

Although there are still challenges, with support from the government and the perseverance and creativity of the people, mango trees are gradually affirming their position as the local staple crop, opening up a path for sustainable development and prosperity for the people here.

Source: https://danviet.vn/trong-loai-qua-vi-nhu-vua-trai-cay-nhet-doi-ca-lang-nay-o-dak-nong-rung-rinh-tien-20250317153041184.htm