The story of an old farmer couple who diligently planted 10 hectares of fruit trees to get rich on the high mountains

TPO - Without loans, no formal techniques, and no one to “hold their hands and show them how to do it”, a Thai couple in Chieng Khua commune (Moc Chau town, Son La province) only has determination and a simple dream: to do farming to raise their children to study, and build a solid house in the middle of a highland village. After nearly 30 years, the first sweet fruits of the season from plums, oranges, grapefruits… have shown that, for farmers, poverty reduction is not too far away if they have the desire to change.

Old farmer couple with fruit garden earning hundreds of millions each year

Meeting us in the middle of a lush green fruit garden of over 10 hectares in Cang village, Chieng Khua commune, Mr. Ha Van Son (born in 1959) and his wife, Mrs. Lo Thi Lam (born in 1961) were picking plums in time for the harvest. In a warm voice, he said: "My wife and I reclaimed all this land ourselves since 1998. At that time, the villagers mainly grew corn on the fields, few people thought about fruit trees."

The couple said that life was very difficult at that time, there was no electricity, no paved roads, the corn they harvested had to be carried by buffalo and walked dozens of kilometers to the center. The couple both grew and sold corn to raise their children. “We only knew how to farm all our lives. I thought, we cannot let our children be poor like us. So we tried to learn, read newspapers, watch TV, and then listened to the commune officials' encouragement, we started planting fruit trees,” Mrs. Lam recalled.

From the barren corn fields of the past, the family now has more than 10 hectares of fruit trees generating hundreds of millions of dong in income each year.

At the beginning of the conversion, the couple was still stuck with the "trial and error" story because of lack of knowledge and techniques. But then the more they worked, the more they understood the land and plants, and whenever there was a training class, they registered to participate. Without borrowing money from the bank, Mr. Son shared: "The only capital is our own strength, we will do it as long as we can. We plant as much as we have, and when the harvest is good, we will keep the seeds, and gradually expand our savings."

From the initial 15 hectares, after dividing it among their children, Mr. and Mrs. Son - Lam now have more than 10 hectares of land growing plums, apricots, oranges, and grapefruits. With nearly 1,000 plum trees, in the 2023 harvest alone, the family harvested over 12 tons of fruit, with prices ranging from 5,000-7,000 VND/kg, sometimes higher.

On average, each year, after deducting labor, fertilizer, and transportation costs, the family earns a profit of about 250-300 million VND, a considerable amount for a highland farming household like the grandparents. Thanks to that, not only can they build a new house, but they also help their children have a more solid economic foundation when they get married.

Mrs. Lam discussed with Major Tong Van Khoa about the quality of her family's plums this year.

However, the problem of output for agricultural products is still a big concern. “I always find traders myself, call acquaintances or sell wholesale if I meet wholesale customers. If there were a cooperative model or a joint group, it would be more stable, and I would feel secure in expanding the scale,” said Mr. Son.

Currently, the farming work is mainly done by the elderly couple. During peak season, the family hires additional day laborers. Recently, one of their daughters has joined them, contributing their youth and continuity to the family's agricultural development.

Change from the right policy and internal strength of the people

Chieng Khua commune has 9 villages, 811 households with nearly 3,900 people, mainly Thai and Mong ethnic groups. According to Mr. Thao A Trong - Chairman of the Commune Farmers' Association, since 2020, the locality has coordinated with specialized agencies to open dozens of technical training courses on cultivation, animal husbandry, and mixed garden renovation.

Currently, his family is growing 4 main types of fruit trees: plum, apricot, orange and grapefruit.

Notably, commune mass organizations have also secured loans from the Social Policy Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to facilitate production loans. The total outstanding loan balance currently reaches more than 25 billion VND. Thanks to this, hundreds of households have the opportunity to change their crop structure from corn and cassava to oranges, mangoes, plums, longans, passion fruit, etc.

“Up to now, the total area of ​​fruit trees in the commune has reached 300 hectares, in which many households have escaped poverty and become well-off households. Mr. Ha Van Son’s family is one of the typical models of the movement,” said Mr. Trong.

Major Tong Van Khoa - Reinforced Border Guard Officer, currently Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, also commented: "Previously, people established cooperatives but their operations were not effective due to lack of capital and lack of experienced leaders. If there is appropriate support, re-establishing the production linkage model is very necessary, helping people to proactively sell their outputs, improve productivity and quality."

A relaxing moment after gardening of Mr. Son and Mrs. Lam.

From a barren sloping land to a fruit-laden garden, the journey of Mr. Ha Van Son and Mrs. Lo Thi Lam is a vivid demonstration of the effectiveness of agricultural transformation in the highlands. They not only escaped poverty but also became “fire-lighters” for many households in the village to follow.

At the age of over 60, they still go out to the garden every day, tending to the plants, weeding, and watering. Slowly and steadily, they make a living by their own labor, nurturing the belief that: With determination, farmers anywhere can get rich from the land.

Rose

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chuyen-ve-vo-chong-nong-dan-gia-can-man-trong-10-ha-cay-an-qua-de-lam-giau-tren-nui-cao-post1755632.tpo