How can people in a commune in Kon Tum earn 50 billion/year by growing durian and Thai jackfruit?

Since the beginning of the year, the agricultural and forestry product production and processing linkage model of Mr. Pham Ngoc Su in Dak Pxi commune, Dak Ha district (Kon Tum) has harvested and exported 1,450 tons of durian and Thai jackfruit to the Chinese market, with revenue reaching over 50 billion VND.

Workers pack durian for export at Mr. Su's facility. Photo: Ngoc Hoa.

Fall in love with the "king tree"

To have such a large source of income, Mr. Su and his members have planted 220 hectares of durian intercropped with Thai jackfruit and produced according to GlobalGAP standards.

Of which, the durian tree has just produced fruit for the first crop (2024), with a fruit output of 450 tons, worth 36 billion VND. The Thai jackfruit tree will produce fruit in 2021, with an average output of 1,000 tons per year, with an average export price of 15,000 VND/kg, and an output value of more than 15 billion VND/year.

In addition, the model also linked to planting 45 hectares of Do trees, initially to create a windbreak belt for the above-mentioned fruit gardens, and later to collect seeds and recover wood for business.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan (a member of the model) said that the purpose of his group when intercropping Thai jackfruit with durian is to use the short term to support the long term, because the seedlings put into production are super early Thai jackfruit, after 18 months of planting, if well cared for, they will be exploited for business.

Good agricultural practices on fruit trees according to international standards (GlobalGAP) are aimed at the export market of the fruits produced. In addition to growing the super early Thai jackfruit variety, the model also includes the Musang King durian variety, the variety with the best quality and highest export value today.

Mr. Tuan added that previously this model had planted 400 hectares of rubber, but later found that rubber trees were not suitable for the local soil and ecology, the latex yield was low, and the production efficiency was not as high as some fruit trees in the area, so they had to switch to planting durian and Thai jackfruit.

In addition to the above-mentioned revenue, this linkage model also creates jobs and stable income for 60-70 ethnic people in the area, with a salary of 7-10 million VND/person/month, not including food, drink, on-site rest and monthly social insurance for workers.

Durian is fertilized mainly with organic fertilizer, giving very well-balanced and beautiful fruit. Photo: Ngoc Hoa.

It is expected that after the durian and jackfruit gardens in the model enter the high-yield period, revenue will reach hundreds of billions of dong, because durian is considered the "king" of tropical fruits, not only providing the best quality, but also always selling at a price many times higher than other fruits.

On the other hand, China, the world's largest durian consumer market, has only been able to produce this crop on a trial scale of about 500 trees.

Mr. Tuan also shared that his hometown is in Yen Lac district (Vinh Phu), through relatives, he participated in the model since 2019. To have capital to contribute to this production model, Mr. Tuan had to sell most of his residential land, lease the right to use the family's 3rd field in the countryside, then bring his wife and children to live and settle down in Kon Tum for a long time. Currently, his family's life has stabilized, and he is gradually accumulating.

Secrets of intensive durian cultivation for export

According to Mr. Pham Thanh Luan (technical officer of the model), to cultivate durian according to GlobalGAP, you must choose hilly areas, nutrient-rich soil, slope under 300, soil pH from 5.5-6.0 and not affected by agents that cause unsafe fruit hygiene, especially near rivers and streams flowing through the area, to facilitate irrigation for crops, in fact near the Dak Pxi river.

However, to proactively water the fruit trees, the households associated in the model still have to build a number of tanks on the hilltops, then pump water from the river up to settle and filter, then put it into the nozzle columns installed at each tree root, spraying water for durian and jackfruit according to each stage of growth and development of the crop.

Before that, households also had to use machinery to clear weeds, make rows of fruit trees and travel along contour lines around the hills, ensuring convenience for moving around, taking care of and harvesting crops.

Regarding planting varieties, households only choose healthy, disease-free seedlings, propagated from the original orchards. Regarding fertilizers, they also only use fertilizers that are permitted by the state to be produced and circulated on the Vietnamese market.

In addition, absolutely do not use chemical herbicides and pesticides. Accordingly, to get high yield and quality of durian trees, households often choose to buy imported poultry manure from Belgium or Norway, divide it into 4 fertilizers for the garden, each time 5-6kg/tree, the first fertilizer is applied immediately after harvest combined with pruning and cleaning the garden, the remaining times, fertilize every 60 days, 120 days and 180 days respectively.

Super early Thai jackfruit is ready for commercial exploitation after 18 months of planting. Photo: Ngoc Hoa.

Regarding the solution of using chemical fertilizers for durian, households only fertilize twice with NPK 13-13-13+TE, 10 days apart, dosage 0.5-0.7kg/tree/time (first fertilization is done right after the tree shows young fruit about 50 days).

In addition, fertilize flower buds, each tree with 3-4 kg of Van Dien phosphate fertilizer; fertilize for ripe, beautiful, sweet yellow fruit (20 days before harvest), dosage 0.3-0.5 kg of Potassium Chloride/tree. Note, use fertilizers and pesticides according to the manufacturer's instructions on the package.

In the plan to prevent diseases on durian trees, households always pay more attention to prevention than treatment and prioritize the use of plant protection drugs of microbial and herbal origin; spraying when light, humidity and air temperature conditions are favorable for fungi to develop and cause harm, and spraying when the first disease spots have just appeared or the larvae are still in the first instar.

It is known that to proactively do this work well, in addition to investing in drones to spray pesticides to prevent pests on relatively calm days, households also have to buy machines to spray pesticides from the ground on windy days.

Durian produced according to GlobalGAP at Mr. Su's unit always produces delicious, clean, and beautiful fruit that is favored by the market and partners. Photo: Ngoc Hoa.

In order to export Thai jackfruit and durian to the world, before each annual harvest, households must take samples of the fruits, bring them to Ho Chi Minh City, hire specialized agencies to analyze them, and meet the requirements for quality and food safety according to regulations before proceeding with harvesting and exporting them from the garden, because traders who come to purchase for export always ask the gardeners to show them the food safety certificate before proceeding with the contract.

"The Plant Protection Department has granted 03 growing area codes, totaling 103 hectares for the model's super early Thai jackfruit and Musang King durian for export.

In the coming time, the model will expand its association and joint venture with farmers in the region, increasing the production scale of the above fruits to 1,000 hectares, in order to contribute with the authorities and people in the province to successfully implement the Resolution of the Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee on developing commodity agriculture in depth, applying high technology, associated with processing industry and consumption market until 2025, with a vision to 2030," Mr. Pham Ngoc Su added.

Source: https://danviet.vn/trong-sau-rieng-trong-mit-thai-kieu-gi-ma-dan-mot-xa-o-kon-tum-thu-50-ty-nam-20240911080155595.htm