Sleepless nights because of the rambutan

We visited Hat Lot commune (Mai Son district, Son La province) – one of Son La province's custard apple producing areas, with a total annual output of thousands of tons of fresh custard apples, bringing in tens of billions of dong in income for farmers. But few people know that before becoming a major crop and a recognized 3-star OCOP product of Son La province, custard apple trees here used to cause headaches and sleepless nights for the very people who grew them.

Hat Lot commune (Mai Son district, Son La province) – one of Son La province's custard apple producing areas, with a total annual output of thousands of tons of fresh custard apples, bringing in tens of billions of VND in income for farmers. Photo: PVTB.

Mr. Tran Ba ​​Cuong – the first person to bring custard apple trees to plant in sub-district I, Hat Lot commune, Mai Son district – recalled: "In 1990, at the age of 30, I settled in this area. Back then, the entire stretch of land along National Highway 6, extending for kilometers, was nothing but barren, rocky soil where even grass couldn't grow. I was the only household that chose the land between Hat Lot stream and National Highway 6 as our place of residence. In the 1990s, this whole area had no electricity or running water. My wife and I toiled away, digging the soil, clearing the weeds, planting cassava and corn to make ends meet. The custard apple tree was one of the first fruit trees I planted in Mai Son, simply because the old custard apple tree didn't require much water or fertilizer, and it fit the saying 'Young people plant custard apples, old people plant bananas'."

"Luckily, both my wife and I have a knack for gardening, so every custard apple tree we planted grew incredibly fast and bore fruit early. That's why I gradually expanded my custard apple orchard, never thinking about getting rich from it. But then hybrid corn varieties flooded Mai Son, creating a life-changing opportunity for those who grew them. Many corn growers not only escaped poverty but also became well-off, even millionaires. The idea of ​​clearing the custard apple orchard to make room for corn kept nagging at me. The desire to quickly escape poverty and the aspiration to have a large custard apple orchard became a conflict, causing me many sleepless nights," Mr. Cuong recounted with a pensive expression.

The custard apple orchard of Mr. Tran Ba ​​Cuong's family (Sub-district I, Hat Lot commune, Mai Son district, Son La province) is carefully pollinated, fruit-bags are meticulously cared for using organic methods, ensuring food safety. Photo: PVTB.

Then, in the early 2000s, during a trip to Lang Son, Mr. Cuong saw people selling custard apples in large quantities, generating considerable revenue. Upon returning, he discussed it with his wife and decided not only to keep the custard apple orchard but also to invest more heavily in this fruit crop. Mr. Cuong honestly explained: "Actually, at that time in Son La, selling custard apples wasn't easy because transportation to distant locations was scarce, and few people bought them domestically. Besides, the old variety had very small fruits, often cracked stems, and had rough skin, making them look unattractive. The harvest time was also very short, so I had to travel back and forth to the lowlands to find customers, selling wholesale and retail to make a profit from the orchard. At the same time, I also had to intercrop longan, mango, and corn to compensate for the losses."

"If it's an OCOP product, it must live up to its potential."

Thanks to socio-economic development, convenient transportation, and the increasing attention given to expanding the internet and social media in Son La province; the number of training courses on transferring scientific and technical knowledge to farmers is increasing; and agricultural extension officers are staying close to the people and villages to "give them a fishing rod," giving Mr. Cuong a boost like "a tiger with added wings."

Na Mai Son brings in billions of dong in revenue for farmers. Photo: PVTB.

Mr. Cuong said: "My knowledge about custard apple trees is constantly improving; my understanding of the market is expanding, so selling my custard apples is much easier, and the profits from growing them are increasing. Seeing my success with custard apples, many households in and outside the commune have come to visit, learn from my experience, and ask for seedlings to plant. I think that if you want to do big business, you need 'business partners and a community' – as our ancestors said; therefore, I help anyone who has the aspiration to grow custard apples unconditionally."

Then, new custard apple varieties with high yields, good quality, and attractive appearance began to appear on the market, such as the Queen custard apple (Thai custard apple), durian custard apple, and Taiwanese custard apple… I went to the Agricultural Academy to learn, bought seedlings, and brought them back to Son La to improve my custard apple orchard. "This era allows us farmers to access many advanced scientific and technical advancements, reducing investment costs while increasing profits, so I applied technology very thoroughly and succeeded. I improved my custard apple orchard by grafting new varieties onto the main trunks, so the trees grew faster, bore fruit earlier, and were more resistant to diseases and unusual weather. I also learned many effective ways to fertilize the trees and control pests. Even pollination techniques to ensure each custard apple fruit grows round and not twisted; and how to prevent the fruit skin from sunburn and cracking when ripe… I learned all of these on my own and succeeded," Mr. Cuong shared.

Na Mai Son meets the criteria of being delicious, clean, and visually appealing, and is favored by many traders inside and outside the province, as well as consumers.
Photo: PVTB.

Regarding the quality of custard apples in Mai Son today, Mr. Cuong said: "It's not simply by chance that custard apples from Mai Son have been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. It's the result of a long journey of innovation, starting from awareness and a sense of responsibility towards consumers from the custard apple orchard owners here. Our custard apples are cultivated according to VietGap standards, primarily using organic fertilizers. Even when the fruit is tiny, it's wrapped in plastic bags, so there's no worry about harmful pesticide residue. Even when we need to catch harmful insects, we use traps with lights and sugar, not pesticides as some people think. Many drivers and traders come to my house to buy custard apples; when they see my wife, children, and grandchildren eating the fruit freshly picked from the orchard, they feel reassured and want to try it too." "Custard apple growers in Mai Son now have a very high awareness of branding, so our custard apples are sold in dozens of provinces and cities nationwide. My family currently has just over 5 hectares of custard apple trees; of which nearly 4 hectares are at their peak yield, yet we still earn billions of dong from custard apples every year. The entire Mai Son region has thousands of hectares. Calculating each hectare to generate 300-550 million dong per year, that's a huge source of income for countless households. Therefore, we are determined to maintain the Mai Son custard apple brand at all costs. And since it's already a 3-star OCOP product, it must live up to that title."

Source: trangtraiviet.danviet.vn