Located right next to National Highway 6, Ta Niet is a region with predominantly limestone mountains. Previously, the villagers mainly cultivated vegetables and some fruit trees, but the economic efficiency was low. Finding new crops suitable for the soil in the limestone mountains of Ta Niet has always been a priority for the local Party committee, government, and people. In 2015, with guidance from the commune, the people of Ta Niet began cultivating custard apple trees. Thanks to proper care and suitable soil and climate, the custard apple trees thrived. To date, Ta Niet village has over 150 hectares of custard apple trees, the largest concentrated cultivation area in the commune and district.

The custard apple growing area in Ta Niet village.

These days, the roads throughout the small village of Ta Niet are much livelier with the joyful laughter and chatter of the custard apple farmers. Thanks to good cultivation techniques suited to the village's climate and soil, the custard apple trees produce large fruits with few seeds, large thorns, prominent eyes, and plenty of flesh, offering a distinctive and delicious flavor that is favored by consumers.

From afar, the 15-hectare custard apple orchard of Mr. Nguyen Manh Thang's family in Ta Niet village is covered in a lush green, symbolizing prosperity. We followed the concrete road built by the households for convenient access to tending and harvesting the custard apples, and stopped at Mr. Thang's orchard. Right from the entrance, we could smell the intoxicating aroma of ripe custard apples.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Thang, from Ta Niet village, is harvesting custard apples.

Mr. Thang warmly led us on a tour of his orchard and shared: "In 2020, my family switched to growing custard apples, with about 7,000 trees, including: soursop, Taiwanese pineapple custard apple, and Thai custard apple. Thanks to being cultivated according to VietGAP standards, the custard apples are large, uniform, and delicious. This year, custard apples are selling for 40,000-50,000 VND/kg, with traders coming directly to the farm to buy them. This year, one hectare of custard apple trees yielded about 10 tons of fruit."

Continuing along the road to Ta Niet village, we became more aware of the economic benefits that custard apple trees bring. Spacious houses have sprung up amidst the lush green custard apple hills. Custard apple trees have become and continue to be a key crop, yielding high economic returns.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu Nhi, owner of a custard apple orchard in Ta Niet village, Chieng Hac commune, shared: "Our family currently has nearly 4 hectares of custard apple trees. Thanks to investing in a smart irrigation system, it has greatly assisted us in caring for the trees. Word of mouth has spread, and our custard apples, produced according to VietGAP standards, are becoming increasingly well-known to consumers. Besides selling to traders, we have expanded our market by selling through online channels such as Facebook and TikTok. We can sell up to 3 tons of custard apples daily at a price of over 45,000 VND/kg."

Not only does it contribute to increasing the income of families, many custard apple orchards in the village also create seasonal jobs for many local laborers with incomes ranging from 6-10 million VND/person/month. Due to the economic benefits, besides Ta Niet, custard apple trees are now also growing and developing in the land of Tay Hung and Tan Thuat villages.

The people of Ta Niet village pack custard apples to transport to wholesale markets.

Speaking about the high-economic-value crop in the commune, Mr. Vi Van Bien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Hac commune, informed: The entire commune currently has 300 hectares of custard apple trees. The commune has actively propagated, disseminated, and guided custard apple growers to apply scientific and technical methods; built a process for monitoring production and caring for custard apple trees in a safe manner to improve product quality and ensure standards for export. In the 2023 custard apple season, some households earned from 1-2 billion VND/season. To further develop custard apple cultivation, the commune is coordinating with specialized departments of the district to support custard apple growers in building image and promoting the custard apple brand to consumers; and is promoting and encouraging custard apple growers to establish concentrated specialized cultivation areas and accelerate registration for planting area codes to expand the consumption market.

Leaving the custard apple orchards in Ta Niet, we still felt the joy of this year's bountiful harvest. The sweet, ripe custard apples are a precious gift, rewarding the hard work of the growers and contributing to a more prosperous life for the people here.

Linh Trang