Farmers grafting custard apples with durian-like custard apples yields high income.

The roads leading to the villages of Co Noi commune have now been widened and paved with smooth concrete, no longer the dirt roads and dusty ruts of the past.

Co Noi is home to ethnic minority groups such as the Thai, Kinh, and Mong. A few decades ago, when people mentioned Co Noi, they immediately thought of a land of corn and cassava, where the lives of the ethnic minorities were still difficult, struggling to make ends meet.

Today, this land has transformed. The people are competing to develop the economy, with diverse models of livestock farming and fruit tree cultivation. Thanks to these approaches, many millionaires and billionaires have emerged in this region.

Introduced by the farmers' association, we went to Me Lech village to meet Mr. Phung Quang Mai, a man who dared to think outside the box and take action, changing the mindset in economic development in this area. His family's model of fruit orchards combined with fattening cattle generates half a billion dong in revenue each year.

Mr. Phung Quang Mai, from Co Noi commune, Mai Son district, Son La province, wraps his family's custard apples to protect them from pests and diseases.
Photo: Van Ngoc

Mr. Mai's house is located at the end of the village. The sturdy, Thai-style house sits nestled in a garden of custard apple trees, each laden with fruit.

When we visited his home, Mr. Mai was in the garden, wrapping each custard apple in specialized fruit bags to protect them from pests and diseases that could affect their appearance and quality.

Mr. Mai, a Kinh ethnic man with dark brown skin, small in stature, and quick, nimble hands, emerged from his custard apple orchard in his work clothes and spoke in a warm voice. He extended his calloused hands to us, inviting us to tour the orchard.

Mr. Mai's custard apple orchard is planted in the backyard of his house, which is about half a hectare in size. The trees and rows are arranged systematically, in neat lines and patterns.

Under each custard apple tree is a bag of composted fertilizer and a drip irrigation system. The branches and leaves are pruned neatly according to the gardener's plan; custard apples that are likely to grow well and have an attractive appearance are carefully placed in fruit bags to protect them from pests and diseases.

"I planted them this way to make it easier to take care of them, to move around the garden more easily, and to keep the garden tidier," Mr. Mai said.

Mr. Phung Quang Lam's custard apple orchard has 350 trees. Photo: Van Ngoc

Sitting in the shade of his custard apple orchard, Mr. Mai candidly shared: "In the past, my family faced many difficulties in economic development and were among the poorest households in the region."

The entire custard apple orchard belonging to his family consists of the "custard apple" variety. After several years of cultivation, the "custard apple" trees grew slowly, were often affected by pests and diseases, and had poor yields and fruit quality. Coupled with unstable prices, his family decided to prune and graft the entire "custard apple" orchard onto the durian-flavored custard apple variety.

According to Mr. Mai, for custard apple and durian trees, applying too much chemical fertilizer can harm the trees and reduce yields. Therefore, he has utilized livestock waste, composting it into decomposed fertilizer for the trees.

Currently, Mr. Mai's family grows 350 custard apple trees, caring for them according to proper procedures and strictly adhering to all the steps of fertilization.

Thanks to this, his family's custard apples are purchased directly from the orchard by traders. His family also has contracts to supply a portion of the produce to several supermarkets and organic agricultural product stores in major cities like Hanoi and Hai Phong. After deducting expenses, the family earns over 300 million VND from their custard apple orchard.

 

From growing durian and custard apple trees, Mr. Phung Quang Mai's family earns nearly 300 million VND in profit each year. Photo: Van Ngoc

Highland farmers are succeeding with their cattle fattening model.

Not only is Mr. Mai's family a model fruit-growing household in the locality, but they are also a successful livestock farmer in the region with their cattle fattening model.

Each year, Mr. Mai's family raises and sells approximately 60 fattened commercial cows. His family earns over 300 million VND. The waste from the livestock farming is used as compost to fertilize their orchards.

Sharing his secret to raising cattle for high economic efficiency, Mr. Mai said: To raise cattle effectively and quickly generate profit, his family buys lean, well-built cows. These well-built cows are then dewormed and vaccinated against various diseases.

Providing the cows with sufficient food, proper care, and disease prevention will ensure they grow quickly and healthily, shortening the time until they are ready for market. To increase the variety and availability of feed, he purchased sugarcane tops and straw from other households to ferment and store as feed for the cows.

In addition, to ensure the healthy growth and rapid development of the cattle, it is crucial to build barns that are well-ventilated in the summer and warm in the winter. Regularly cleaning the barns is also essential to prevent disease outbreaks.

Feed the cattle three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, with fresh grass combined with concentrated feed such as bran and cornmeal... and especially ensure that all necessary vaccinations are given to prevent diseases in the buffalo and cattle herd.

Mr. Phung Quang Mai raises cattle using the fattening method. Photo: Van Ngoc

Commenting on farmer Phung Quang Mai, Mr. Lo Van Tien, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Co Noi commune, Mai Son district, Son La province, said: "Thanks to his diligence, eagerness to learn, and innovative thinking, Mr. Phung Quang Mai has succeeded with his family's economic model. His model of raising cattle for fattening and utilizing livestock waste as fertilizer is being emulated and replicated by other villagers."

Each year, Mr. Phung Quang Mai's family sells 55-70 fattened cows. Photo: Van Ngoc

According to the Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Co Noi commune, the Association always identifies the "Farmers competing in excellent production and business" movement as one of its key tasks.

The association has actively implemented practical activities for each farmer member through consultation, loan support, deferred payment for supplies, etc.
At the same time, the association encourages its members to change the structure of crops and livestock, apply scientific and technological advancements to production, and help farmers sell their products...

Particularly in recent years, farmer association members have proactively engaged in production, forming areas for growing sugarcane, green vegetables, and strawberries, developing the cultivation of fruit trees on sloping land, such as custard apples, mangoes, longan, and pomelos, as well as livestock farming models for buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, and goats…

It can be seen that the movement of farmers competing to excel in production and business, the Farmers' Association of Co Noi commune, not only inspires the spirit of daring to think, daring to act, overcoming difficulties and striving to become rich among each farmer member, but also actively contributes to the economic and social development and the construction of new rural areas in the locality.

Source: danviet.vn