Growing Thai custard apple brings high economic efficiency

In the context of many fruit trees such as jackfruit, mango, durian... facing difficulties in output, prices plummeting, a young farmer in An Huu commune has chosen his own path with Thai custard apple. With research and determination to change, Mr. Nguyen Le Minh Vuong (born in 1990, residing in Binh hamlet, An Huu commune) has succeeded with the model of growing Thai custard apple (also known as Thai custard apple), a relatively new variety in the locality but bringing outstanding economic efficiency with an income of hundreds of millions of VND each year.

Thai custard apples are classified after harvest before being purchased by traders.

Previously, on his family’s 2 hectares of land, Mr. Vuong used to grow Ido longan - a tree that was expected to have high economic value. However, after many years of cultivation, with unstable prices and income, he realized that growing longan was no longer suitable.

Once by chance, when he visited Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province (before the province was merged), many people had switched to growing Thai custard apple. He noticed that many households here achieved high economic efficiency, the products were easy to consume, and the prices were stable, so he started to learn and study.

“When I started growing, almost no one in An Huu commune grew Thai custard apple. People here were still familiar with traditional crops such as guava, jackfruit, mango, durian... I decided to be the pioneer, even though I knew there were many risks,” Mr. Vuong shared.

In 2021, he officially converted the entire land area to grow Thai custard apple. This is a popular fruit variety thanks to its large, round fruit, thin skin, sweet flesh and few seeds, suitable for the tastes of domestic and foreign consumers.

Mr. Vuong's family's Thai custard apple garden.

According to Mr. Vuong, although Thai custard apple is easy to grow and care for, the most important stage is still the time of flowering and fruiting. Unlike traditional custard apples, Thai custard apples require manual pollination to ensure a high fruit set rate.

During this process, growers need to combine the use of fertilizers with the right nutrients, periodically every 15 days to help the plant grow stably and prevent fungi and mealybugs. From planting to fruiting, it takes about 18 months.

After that, you can harvest 2 crops per year, depending on how the crop is handled. If handled at the right time and the flowers bloom on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, you can harvest during the traditional New Year, when the selling price can be much higher than usual.

The flowering process includes: Creating buds 15 days in advance, then cutting branches from the full moon to the 25th day of the 7th lunar month. About 1 month and 5 days after cutting the branches, the trees will bloom simultaneously. The time from flowering to fruit wrapping is about 3 months, each fruit is carefully wrapped with white foam and plastic bags to prevent pests and maintain beautiful appearance.

From flowering to harvest is about 4.5 to 5 months. The average fruit weight is from 300 grams to 1 kg. To ensure fruit quality, growers need to select fruit according to the strength of the tree, prune the quantity so that the tree can focus on nurturing the remaining fruit.

Mr. Vuong shared that in the first crop, due to lack of experience, the fruit set rate was low, the appearance was not beautiful, so he could not sell for a high price. However, after accumulating experience and improving techniques, in the following seasons, his Thai custard apple garden produced large, round, even fruit and was positively received by the market.

Currently, with 2 hectares of land, he harvests about 4 tons of fruit each year, equivalent to 2 tons/hectare/year. The selling price ranges from 30,000 - 55,000 VND/kg, depending on the season. After deducting the cost of fertilizer and care, his family earns about 150 - 200 million VND/year.

In the current crop season, his family is harvesting, although the average selling price is only 32,000 VND/kg, lower than last year, but thanks to stable output and high quality fruit, he still earns a profit of about 100 million VND. This is a very positive number compared to many other fruit growing models that are facing difficulties. Not only does it bring a stable income, growing Thai custard apples also helps Mr. Vuong save costs by mainly using organic fertilizers, limiting chemical pesticides, protecting the health of himself and consumers.

Although the model has proven effective, currently in An Huu commune, the number of households growing Thai custard apple is still quite small. According to Mr. Vuong, in the context of plummeting prices of many fruits, people should boldly switch crops. With the experience accumulated over 4 years, he is willing to share techniques and guide the cultivation process for those who want to try Thai custard apple.

“This model can be replicated completely. Thai custard apple is a variety of tree suitable for the climate and soil conditions of many areas of Dong Thap province. In addition, Thai custard apple is also favored by the market because of its sweet taste, beautiful appearance and few seeds. I am planning to expand the planting area in the near future to increase income and improve my family's life,” said Mr. Vuong.

Mr. Vuong's model is a clear demonstration that if farmers are willing to learn, apply new techniques, and dare to innovate their thinking, they can generate a stable income from a small garden and become rich legitimately. In the context of the agricultural sector promoting crop conversion in the direction of adapting to the market and climate change, Thai custard apple can be a potential choice not only for An Huu commune, but also many areas in Dong Thap province.

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Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202507/trong-na-thai-mang-lai-hieu-qua-kinh-te-cao-1046878/