Mr. and Mrs. K'Thien - Ka Mai, Hang Ka village, are farming durian during the blooming season. At dusk, when the durian begins to bloom, they hold small brushes to pollinate each cluster of ivory-white flowers.
In the 2023 durian crop, Mr. K' Thien's family has received sweet fruits. And especially, in the remote Hang Ka area, the family's durian has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product, a big step forward for the young farmer's family.
During the conversation, Mr. K'Thien said that his durian garden used to be a coffee garden. The labor cost was high, the fertilizer and pesticides were high, and the coffee price was unstable, making it very difficult for him and his wife to raise their children.
In 2018, with the encouragement of agricultural officials and seeing the success of the people around them from durian trees, they decided to plant 200 Dona durian trees.
Mr. K'Thien next to the durian garden that is blooming
Ms. Ka Mai said that the hilly land was very difficult, they had to dig up each coffee tree, resurface the garden to plan for durian planting according to the instructions of agricultural officials. After four years of care, in 2022, they harvested the first crop of fruit.
The quantity is not much, so it is only enough to pay for fertilizer and medicine to take care of the garden. By the 2023 crop, they will harvest 6 tons of fruit. And, the family is happy because durian has a high price.
Mr. K'Thien said that on average, his durian garden is sold to businesses for 55,000 VND/kg. The first money the family earned from the durian tree has brought hope for a bright future for the production direction of the young Ma couple.
Not only selling fruit for money, Mr. K'Thien is also a progressive young farmer, quickly approaching the market's consumption trends. With the encouragement of the commune and district, he actively carried out the procedures to have his family's fresh durian recognized as a 3-star OCOP product.
He said that the procedures for recognizing OCOP products are quite a lot, the most important of which is safe cultivation. However, with the support of commune and district officials, they have achieved good results. K'Thien durian is brought to the market under the OCOP brand, so it sells very well.
Not only building the OCOP durian brand, Mr. K'Thien is also one of the farmers who joined forces with businesses to build a growing area code for durian in Hang Ka village. He shared that many people in Hang Ka village are like his family, growing durian in a pure way to increase family income.
Hoa Viet Nong Import Export Company Limited and local authorities are also carrying out procedures to propose granting a growing area code for Hang Ka durian. He received news that the procedures were almost completed, Hang Ka durian in the 2024 crop will have the opportunity to reach distant lands, bringing good income to farmers.
Mr. K'Thien said that if farmers want durian to meet standards and be accepted by the market, they need to pay attention right from the seed selection stage. When choosing seeds, they must choose seeds from reputable suppliers to ensure the purest durian seeds.
The Hang Ka area is often quite dry, so durian orchards must be adequately watered for the trees to grow well. For example, the Seven-Tier Waterfall area, where he is growing durian, has water drawn from a source on the mountain.
They collected water in tanks, dug ponds on top of hills, pumped it up high and the irrigation water automatically flowed down.
He said: “When growing durian, when using fertilizers and pesticides, we must ensure that we use the correct type of pesticide in the list permitted by the Department of Agriculture and quarantine it according to regulations. Agricultural officials also give us detailed instructions on how to grow durian for export, so that we farmers can have a sustainable future.”
According to his prediction, in the 2024 durian crop, his family's garden will yield 20 tons. With the export purchase price from the association with the enterprise, his income will increase two to three times compared to 2023.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture of Bao Lam district assessed that the OCOP product of fresh durian of Mr. K'Thien's family is a very effective example.
In 2023, Bao Lam will have 19 products recognized as three-star OCOP and fresh durian under the K'Thien brand is considered a promising OCOP product.
The successful development of OCOP products by Mr. K'Thien's family will be a driving force for other farmers to actively build brands for local agricultural products. This is an effective direction, promoting farmers in remote areas to rise up, bringing quality products to a large number of domestic and foreign consumers.
Source
Comment (0)