As a pioneer in converting the crop structure in Hua Tat village, Van Ho commune, Mr. Trang A Cao has boldly switched to commodity production and introduced quality plant varieties. He is currently growing 2 hectares of tangerines, 1 hectare of tomatoes, 1 hectare of crispy persimmons and has also worked hard to grow 1 hectare of Tai Nung pears.

Boldly change crop structure

According to Mr. Cao, he used to grow grapefruit and oranges on the plateau, but they were not effective. Five years ago, he boldly cut down the lemon and grapefruit gardens full of fruit to plant pear trees in Hua Tat.

"After many times of planting and cutting, I suffered too much damage. Planting the Tai Nung pear tree is another gamble with the heavens," said Mr. Cao.

Mr. Trang A Cao boldly cut down the lemon and grapefruit gardens full of fruit to plant pear trees in Hua Tat.

In the third year, the Tai Nung pear garden began to bear fruit. The following year, the pear trees were harvested. Each tree was laden with fruit. To help the pear trees grow well, he regularly pruned and shaped the canopy, and fertilized them with organic fertilizer. Mr. Cao also installed an automatic watering system. Around the base of the pear trees, he planted squash and taro to keep the pear trees moist.

According to Mr. Cao, last year 120/400 Tai Nung pear trees were harvested. Each tree is estimated to yield 20kg of fruit. With a selling price of 60,000 VND/kg, all of the pears in the garden were bought by tourists.

Pear trees are easy to grow, easy to care for and suitable for the soil of Moc Chau plateau. Mr. Cao also persistently cultivates pears in an organic way. Thanks to that, his pear garden always sells well and is easy to sell.

Because the Tai Nung pear tree is cared for organically, the quality of the fruit is much more delicious. Mr. Cao is also planning to build a trellis for the Tai Nung pear tree. He will shape and position the pear tree so that tourists visiting the garden can have the best photo angles.

Mr. Cao's pear garden is highly appreciated by the commune leaders. It not only brings economic value, but also opens up a new direction of development for local people.

It is known that Mr. Cao gathered his brothers and relatives in the village to establish A Cao Agricultural Cooperative, with him as Director and 07 members, to support members as well as relatives in the village to replicate effective agricultural models.

Currently, A Cao Agricultural Cooperative has products with stable annual harvests, good quality, high prices such as oranges with an average selling price of 50,000 VND, crispy persimmons with a price of 40,000 VND, strawberries with a price of 100,000 VND, and Tai Nung pears with a price of 40,000 VND. Thanks to that, members have a stable income.

Establishment of cooperative to develop model

Tai Nung pears not only “took root” in Van Ho, but also developed in many localities in Son La province. Phieng Khoai is a commune with the advantage of cool climate and fertile soil, suitable for pear trees to grow. From 1,000 Tai Nung pear trees successfully planted in Con Huot 1 village, up to now, people in the commune have expanded and developed to over 70 hectares.

Tai Nung pears grown in Phieng Khoai have a beautiful appearance, are round, have thin, crispy skin, a sweet taste and a characteristic aroma. Pear trees usually bloom around February, are harvested from late May to mid-July, and are favored by consumers for their sweetness, low fiber, cool taste and organic care.

As the first household in Phieng Khoai commune to plant pear trees, Ms. Dinh Thi May, Con Huot 1 village, shared: In 2014, after visiting the pear growing model in Lao Cai, she decided to plant 1,000 Tai Nung pear trees. By mid-2018, the pear garden had its first harvest, every tree was full of fruit, big, round, juicy, reaching a yield of over 700 kg of fruit, selling price 40,000 VND/kg, earning nearly 30 million VND. Her family has expanded to 6 hectares, harvesting more than 30 tons of fruit each year, selling price 40,000-60,000 VND/kg depending on the type of fruit, earning about 600 million VND.

Realizing the high economic efficiency and good consumption market, since 2021, Ms. Dinh Thi May has linked up with households in the area to expand the pear area and established Kien Cuong Cooperative. Currently, the Cooperative has 10 members, linking production on an area of ​​over 60 hectares of pears according to VietGAP process.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien, a member of the cooperative, when joining the cooperative, his family was instructed to install an economical irrigation system, use organic fertilizers, biological products, care for and bag the fruit. Thanks to that, the family's pear products have beautiful appearance, rich sweetness, and crunchiness; as soon as they are harvested, traders come to the garden to buy them. With 2 hectares of pears, the family is expected to harvest about 17 tons of fruit this year.

To ensure product output, the cooperative is also responsible for processing, classifying, affixing traceability stamps and supporting farmers to put products on e-commerce platforms, such as Tiktok, Buudien.vn... not only helping pear growers expand output but also increasing product value. In 2024, the cooperative sold more than 100 tons of pears nationwide, with a total revenue of nearly 4 billion VND.

“Customers are now very interested in the origin of agricultural products. Each order has a QR code to trace the origin, and a commitment to safe farming processes, which is why customers increasingly trust it,” said Ms. Dinh Thi May.

Mr. Le Van Duc, a businessman from Hanoi, who has been associated with Phieng Khoai pear consumption for more than 3 years, said: I learned about Tai Nung pear through a friend's introduction. When I tried it, I was very impressed by its sweet taste and crispness. Then I went to the commune to survey and signed a contract to consume agricultural products with Kien Cuong Cooperative. On average, I buy 20 tons of fruit per crop.

Tai Nung pears of Kien Cuong Cooperative are attached with QR code to trace their origin.

According to the representative of the Commune People's Committee, the whole commune currently has more than 70 hectares of pears, with an estimated output of over 150 tons this year. Currently, about 70% of the output has been signed by units and individuals for consumption and put on e-commerce platforms for consumption.

Not only that, aiming for sustainable development, people have known how to unite in groups of households, applying organic fertilization techniques, thanks to which pears are always safe.

Main crops

The provincial leadership said that although Tai Nung pear trees have not been planted in the communes for long and the area is not large, in recent years, pear trees have gradually affirmed their position. Thanks to guaranteed quality, pear products are easily consumed and are favored by consumers in and outside the province. Thereby, opening up more economic development directions for farmers, bringing stable income to many families.

Statistics show that Son La province has reduced the poverty rate of the whole province to 10%, with an average reduction of more than 3% per year in the period 2021-2025.

Identifying Tai Nung pear as a key crop suitable for soil and climate conditions, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, the province said it will develop an agricultural tourism model associated with the flowering season and pear harvest season; participate in agricultural markets to attract investors to participate in processing and purchasing to improve product quality and increase people's income.

In addition, in coordination with the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance and the Provincial Cooperative Alliance, we support the establishment of more cooperatives to help people stabilize their output. At the same time, we organize training courses to guide people on effective pear growing methods, bringing high productivity.

It is known that in Yen Son commune, previously, some households planted pear trees, but let the trees grow naturally, so although they bore a lot of fruit, the fruit was small, and the selling price was only 7,000-10,000 VND/kg. When pear trees were widely planted, people participated in training courses of the commune in coordination with the Provincial Cooperative Union to help people apply the right measures to care for and wrap the fruit, now the fruit is large, beautiful, and sells for a higher price.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thai's family in Kim Son 1 village has 0.5 hectares of pear trees being harvested. Mr. Thai shared: Since 2018, the family has grafted, applied canopy creation and branching measures to help the trees grow well. Thanks to good implementation of technical measures, pest prevention, especially fruit wrapping, the pears are no longer sunburned or borer-eaten, and the yield has reached 6 tons. Since the beginning of the season, many traders have come to the garden to buy at 25,000-40,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, last year's pear crop earned nearly 100 million VND.