Not giving up in the face of natural adversities, the billionaire farmers of Kien Giang have transformed the alum-contaminated fields and barren, infertile lands into billion-dollar fortunes. Gone are the days of “working hard in the fields just to make ends meet”, now they are considered “billionaire farmers”.
Make the land "bloom"
Arriving at Lung Lon rice field (Kien Binh commune, Kien Luong district, Kien Giang province), asking about Mr. "Tuan Lua" - farmer Nguyen Thanh Tuan, everyone in the area knows in detail. "Is it Tuan who works on 500 hectares of rice fields? Everyone here knows him, he is very persistent and talented", said a resident of Lung Lon area.
From the heavily acidic land in the 2000s, a large specialized rice growing area has now been formed, spanning hundreds of hectares.
Among the few people who persevered in “making the land bloom” was Mr. Tuan. Standing on the edge of the field, Mr. Tuan recalled: Back then, this area was covered with cajuput trees, reeds, and sedges. The land was heavily contaminated with alum, so people left to work in other places. The change only began when the T4 and T5 canal systems brought water into the rice fields, washing away the alum.
According to Mr. Tuan, to have rice fields full of grain, with a yield of 7 to 8 tons/ha as present, the land has had the sweat and tears of many generations. 25 years ago, Mr. Tuan's father had to dig up each cajuput and sugarcane root to level the field.
After that, they dug a system of canals crisscrossing like “blood vessels” to bring water into the fields to wash away the alum. There was a time when his limbs were all rotten from the alum, but generations of Mr. Tuan’s family never gave up.
Mr. Du Van Thai, a billionaire farmer in Kien Giang, earns about 2 billion VND per year.
From the first rice crops with a yield of only 3-4 tons/ha, now with ST24, ST25, Dai Thom 8 varieties, Mr. Tuan has "forced the soil to yield" about 8 tons/ha. Currently, all cultivation stages on his 500ha field have been mechanized.
Drones, tractors, transplanters, and combine harvesters help Mr. Tuan minimize labor, reduce costs, and bring better profits. Mr. Tuan said that thanks to clearly recording the sowing schedule, having a dedicated person to look after each plot, and applying modern machinery, profits are higher than traditional rice farming.
Currently, the organic rice growing model of Tuan Linh Enterprise (owned by Mr. Tuan) brings in revenue of 29 billion VND/year, after deducting expenses, the profit is 14 billion VND/year. Not only growing rice, Mr. Tuan also trades in materials and services for plows and cutters, with a profit of nearly 2.2 billion VND/year.
He has created regular jobs for 80 local workers. In 2022, Mr. Tuan Lua was awarded a certificate of merit by the People's Committee of Kien Giang province for his outstanding achievements in the movement of farmers competing to produce well and help each other get rich.
No business does not necessarily mean no wealth
Tac Cau pineapple (Chau Thanh district, Kien Giang) has long been famous for its rich, unforgettable sweetness. Having been involved in pineapple growing since 1975, Mr. Du Van Thai (77 years old) has created a solid foundation for his family and raised his children to become successful. As one of the 100 outstanding Vietnamese farmers in 2022, Mr. Thai has made a basis to change the "curse" that not doing business means not being rich.
In late October, the price of areca nuts skyrocketed, so each time he picked them, he pocketed more than 20 million VND. Since the beginning of the year, he has sold more than 20 tons, so he has a decent amount of money.
On an area of over 2 hectares of land, in addition to 2,000 areca trees, he also planted hundreds of coconut trees and tens of thousands of pineapple trees. Currently, each year Mr. Thai's family earns over 1 billion VND from the above 3-storey ecological tree planting model.
“Thanks to the shade of areca and coconut trees, pineapples are less susceptible to sunburn and have a more beautiful appearance. Areca trees do not take up much land, and coconut trees also bring high economic efficiency when intercropped,” Mr. Thai shared.
Not only that, Mr. Thai also uses by-products from pineapple, areca, and coconut mixed with decomposed organic fertilizer to make fertilizer.
“Currently, I can sell about 200 tons of organic fertilizer every 3 months, so my pocket is always full to enjoy with friends,” Mr. Thai excitedly boasted. With more than 5 hectares of longan, 13 hectares of rice and billions of dong in profit, Mr. Tran Van Lon (65 years old, residing in Dinh An commune, Lap Vo district) is the only farmer from Dong Thap honored in the list of 63 outstanding Vietnamese farmers nationwide in 2024.
“Growing longan requires little care, but is highly profitable. Currently, longan orchards are cultivated according to VietGAP standards, and traders come to the orchards to buy at stable prices, bringing about a prosperous economy,” Mr. Lon excitedly said.
In addition to growing longan, he also cultivates about 13 hectares of rice in Hon Dat district, Kien Giang province. With a profit of about 30 million VND/ha, he has become a "billionaire farmer" admired by many people.
In addition to doing business, he and his family contributed 100% of the cost of about 600 million VND to buy a hospital transport vehicle for people in Dinh An commune, participated in building 2 solid concrete bridges, and mobilized rural construction with a total value of more than 276 million VND.
"I used to be in difficult circumstances, so when I became rich, I just wanted to contribute my efforts to help the poor," Mr. Lon shared.
Mr. Do Tran Thinh, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Kien Giang province, shared that outstanding Vietnamese farmers such as Mr. Du Van Thai, Tuan Lua, and Tran Van Lon are typical examples for farmers to learn from.
“New models, good and creative ways of doing things help them get rich right on their homeland. In the coming time, the association will continue to coordinate and cooperate in the industry value chain, creating quality products, thereby forming a generation of dynamic, creative and prosperous farmers,” Mr. Thinh shared.
Source: https://danviet.vn/ty-phu-kien-giang-trong-lua-tren-canh-dong-500ha-khong-dau-chan-vuon-3-tang-cay-trai-20250206084849721.htm
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