Longan trees grown on sloping land provide farmers with high incomes.

In Long Phieng commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province), we encountered lush fruit orchards everywhere on the hillsides and valleys. Each season brings its own fruits, and these orchards of longan, mango, pomelo, and plum have transformed the lives of the local people, helping them to prosper. These achievements are thanks to the provincial and district policies promoting fruit cultivation on sloping land, along with a shift in the economic development mindset of the local people.

Introduced by officials from the Yen Chau District Agricultural Department, we visited the fruit orchard of Ms. Nguyen Thi Duyen's family in Pha Cung village, Long Phieng commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province). Ms. Duyen's longan orchard is one of the largest in the region, generating an income of billions of VND each year.

Our first impression upon arriving at Ms. Duyen's family's longan orchard was that, despite being planted on slopes, the trees were meticulously cultivated, with an automatic irrigation system at the base. Every tree was lush and green, laden with clusters of fruit.

Yen Chau district, Son La province, is promoting fruit tree cultivation on sloping land. Photo: Van Ngoc

Sitting under a longan tree, Mrs. Duyen shared: "In 1993, after getting married, my husband and I moved from our hometown of Khoai Chau (Hung Yen) to Long Phieng to clear land and start a new life. At that time, this Pha Cung hill area was full of wild plants and reeds. My family decided to reclaim this barren land to develop our economy. In the beginning, we started planting longan trees, but only local varieties, so the economic efficiency was not high, and my family faced many difficulties at that time."

In 2003, in response to the Party and State's policy of converting inefficient sloping land to fruit tree cultivation, Ms. Duyen boldly introduced the Mien Thiet longan variety to replace the local variety. This variety produces sweet, abundant fruit with thin skin and thick flesh. After only 3 years, her family was able to harvest and profit from it continuously for many years afterward.

To ensure productivity and product quality, Mrs. Duyen's family practices intensive farming, applying high-tech techniques in grafting, improving varieties, and implementing production processes according to VietGAP standards. They use organic fertilizers, manure, and NPK fertilizers for their crops. As a result, their longan orchard has remained lush and full of fruit since the grafting began.

"Currently, my family cultivates over 10 hectares of longan trees. By applying proper cultivation techniques, our longan orchard yields high productivity and produces beautiful fruit. Traders buy the fruit directly from the orchard and sell it to supermarkets and organic agricultural product stores in Hanoi. On average, my family harvests 100-120 tons of longan per season. After deducting all expenses, my family earns a profit of 1.6 billion VND per year," said Ms. Duyen.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Duyen, from Pha Cung village, Long Phieng commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province), earns a high income from growing longan. Photo: Van Ngoc

Sustainable development of longan trees on sloping land.

According to Mr. Vi Van Quynh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Phieng commune, Yen Chau district, Son La province: Currently, Long Phieng commune has 676 hectares of longan trees, of which 600 hectares are ready for harvest, concentrated in the villages of Pha Cung, Yen Thi, Nong Duc, and Mo Than.

For the longan orchards bearing fruit, the commune has coordinated with specialized agencies of the district to guide farmers in investing in and caring for the trees according to technical procedures. At the same time, they have strengthened connections with consumers and promoted the product. This year, the yield is expected to reach approximately 3,000 tons of fruit.

Yen Chau district, Son La province, is promoting the application of scientific advancements in developing fruit trees on sloping land. Photo: Van Ngoc

During the harvest season, there are 10-12 lychee purchasing points daily in the villages of Pha Cung, Nong Duc, Yen Thi, and Mo Than, with each point collecting an average of 1-2 tons of fresh fruit. The products are sold at wholesale markets in Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, and Hanoi provinces. To date, approximately 650 tons of fruit have been sold, and it is expected that the harvest of the late-ripening lychee crop will be completed by the end of September.

To improve the economic efficiency of late-ripening longan, Long Phieng commune continues to encourage cooperatives and longan growers to promote grafting and improvement of late-ripening longan varieties on old longan varieties, and apply advanced techniques in cultivation. They are strengthening pest management and pesticide residue control to ensure food safety and hygiene. At the same time, they are proactively promoting, connecting with markets for consumption and export, and researching methods for preserving late-ripening longan to meet the requirements of staggered harvesting and improve the economic efficiency for farmers.

Growing fruit trees on sloping land has helped farmers in Yen Chau achieve a stable income. Photo: Van Ngoc

It is evident that the development of fruit trees on sloping land has significantly improved the lives of the people, providing them with stable incomes and enabling them to become wealthy. In the coming time, Yen Chau district (Son La province) will continue to build and develop fruit tree production models that meet VietGAP standards; maintain trademarks and brands for certified products; and encourage people to expand the area of ​​high-quality agricultural production for some key crops.

Van Ngoc