The pioneer in specializing in fruit trees in border areas, increasing farmers' income

TPO - In the middle of Nam Ke commune (Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien), where many people only think of growing corn and cassava to survive, there is a farmer who quietly takes a different path: making a living from fruit trees. Not noisy, not ostentatious, but more than 5 hectares of fruit trees in the middle of the mountains and forests of his family are the result of nearly 20 years of persistently building a career from scratch.

Two hardworking farmers

In 2004, Mr. Tran Van Huan and his wife from Dai Dong commune, Vinh Tuong district ( Vinh Phuc province) left their hometown to start a business in the border area of ​​Nam Ke. At that time, Muong Nhe was still a remote area, with poor infrastructure, large land but sparse population, no one thought there would be land for fruit trees to grow .

“When I first came here, I only thought of doing something to make a living. My husband and I opened a grocery store, then raised chickens and pigs to earn extra income. But gradually, there were more grocery store workers, more competition, and fewer customers. We had to start thinking in other directions,” Mr. Huan recalled.

In 2018, he decided to "change direction" to gardening. With the little capital he had saved, he bought land from the villagers, gradually improving it to start growing fruit trees. "At that time, no one had grown oranges or other fruit trees in this area. Many people said I was crazy. But I thought, if the land has no value, why not try? At most it will fail, otherwise it will open another path for myself and the villagers." Up to now, Mr. Huan has about 5 hectares of land for growing fruit trees, all of which his family bought and improved. Of which, 3 hectares are for growing oranges, 2 hectares have been harvested, and 1 hectare is in the care stage. In addition, he also grows jackfruit, longan, mango, lychee, grapefruit, etc.

Mr. Huan always chooses the best fertilizers for plants.

He carefully selected the tree varieties from the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture , learned techniques from books, from the internet, especially from his younger brother in Ha Giang - a pioneer in the model of growing fruit trees in mountainous areas. Priority was given to quality fertilizers, and pesticides were also carefully selected to ensure safety. "I learned while working, and corrected my mistakes. There was a day when I went to spray pesticides and it suddenly rained, and I lost all my work all night. But those times helped me remember better and grasp the techniques more firmly."

The couple does almost everything from planting, fertilizing, weeding to harvesting. Only when the season is at its peak does he hire people on a daily basis. “Farming is a job that can’t be done. There’s no such thing as “planting and waiting to harvest” as people think. Growing fruit trees is like raising children; if you take care of them wrongly, the fruit won’t be delicious; if they get sick, you’ll lose everything.” What’s special about Mr. Huan’s model is that he doesn’t borrow from banks. All investments are self-made: profits from one tree are transferred to another. Even in the beginning, when the trees haven’t been harvested yet, he still maintains income from short-term trees to feed the perennial trees.

Mr. Huan's garden is currently growing 6 types of fruit trees.

Since the third year, the orange garden has begun to produce stable fruit. Every year, after deducting expenses, the family earns about 300 - 400 million VND. But that income is not always easy. Last year, due to erratic weather and no stable output, he had 2-4 tons of oranges that he could not sell in time, so he had to give them up. "I mainly sell retail, selling to people in the commune and district. There are no big traders, no long distribution channels. Many times, seeing the damaged fruit makes me feel sorry." Because of that, even though the products are of good quality, beautiful in appearance, and highly appreciated by consumers, output is still the biggest concern.

Opens up more hope

Realizing the potential of the model, the locality has included Mr. Huan's orange garden in the district-level OCOP product development plan. Mr. Nguyen Tien Thanh - Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Ke commune said: "Last year, the leaders of Muong Nhe district came down to survey the orange growing model. We expect that if the product meets OCOP standards, the output will be significantly improved, thereby helping to expand the scale of production and increase farmers' income."

Mr. Huan and his 5-hectare property.

Not only does he provide economic support for his family, Mr. Huan also plays an inspirational role for local people. According to Mr. Ly Van Xuan - Vice Chairman of Nam Ke Commune People's Committee, Mr. Huan's model is currently creating seasonal jobs for 5-10 local workers. In addition, Mr. Huan regularly guides people on planting, care, and pest control techniques. "Mr. Huan is a pioneer in transforming production thinking in the commune, from traditional farming to applying science and technology. There are households that see what he can do and boldly follow, hoping that it will be effective in the future."

Nowadays, Mr. Huan still goes to the garden every day from early morning until dusk. In a place where fruit trees were once considered “unable to survive”, Mr. Huan has gradually created a fruit growing area with an income of hundreds of millions of dong each year. This is not only a household economic model, but also a new signal for the difficult land of Nam Ke, where opportunities are gradually opening up from the hands that dare to think and dare to do.

Rose

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-mo-loi-chuyen-canh-cay-an-qua-o-vung-bien-nang-thu-nhap-cho-nong-dan-post1748537.tpo