Good custard apple harvest, Vinh Phu farmers 'pocket' hundreds of millions of dong

Early in the morning, the custard apple garden of more than 3 sao of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Van's family (Kim Nghia block) was bustling with fruit pickers and local traders coming to buy.

Ms. Van excitedly said: “This year, every tree is full of fruit. The garden of more than 200 trees yielded about 2 tons, selling for more than 80 million VND. Custard apples are grown organically, so the fruit is fragrant and sweet, and is favored by consumers. In particular, custard apple trees require little care, have stable prices, and generate higher income than many other types of trees.”

Not only Mrs. Van's family, many other households in Vinh Phu are also enjoying a bumper crop of custard apples. A typical example is Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cuong's family, the owner of a garden of 400 custard apple trees. Thanks to the automatic irrigation system to maintain moisture, his custard apple garden has a high yield, each tree has more than 100 fruits.

This season, he harvested nearly 5 tons, pocketing over 200 million VND. Mr. Cuong shared: "Since installing automatic irrigation, the trees have grown evenly, the fruit is beautiful, and they sell for a good price. In fact, custard apple trees have helped the family have a stable source of income, and feel secure in sticking with them for a long time."

According to records, this year, custard apples in Vinh Phu have a good harvest, with productivity increasing by one and a half times compared to last year. At the beginning of the season, the selling price was up to 60,000 VND/kg, during the main season it was 45,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, and after the storm, it dropped to 35,000 VND/kg. However, thanks to the high yield, people still made a good profit.

Ms. Pham Thi Phuong, a long-time custard apple grower, said: “Each custard apple tree brings in an income of 500,000 - 700,000 VND. Although the price fluctuates, this year people are excited because the custard apples are both plentiful and beautiful.”

The entire Vinh Phu ward currently has about 10 hectares of custard apples, mainly concentrated in Kim Nghia hamlet. On average, each household plants a few dozen to a few hundred trees, with many households planting up to 300 - 400 trees.

Custard apple trees have taken root in Vinh Phu for nearly two decades. However, in previous years, custard apple yields were low and depended heavily on the weather, so people were not interested, and some households even cut them down to plant other trees.

The turning point came 7 years ago, when Mr. Nguyen Ba Ngoc, a local Biology teacher, pioneered the experiment of artificial pollination for custard apple trees. Mr. Ngoc recalls: “Artificial pollination helps growers proactively control the number of fruits on each branch. Thanks to that, the trees are healthy, the fruits are large and even, and the yield is 6-7 times higher than before.”

The teacher’s custard apple garden, laden with fruit, has become a destination for sightseeing and learning for people in the area. Since then, this method has been quickly replicated, reviving the entire Vinh Phu custard apple area, turning the tree species that had been cut down into a key crop in the development of the garden economy.

Not only improving techniques, people here also focus on organic farming, minimizing chemical pesticides to ensure safe and high-quality custard apples.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Le - President of Vinh Phu Ward Farmers' Association, said: "Creamy custard apple trees are very suitable for the local soil and climate. The Association regularly coordinates to train people on pollination techniques and organic care. At the same time, we established a professional association for custard apple growing with 10 participating households, creating production links and aiming to build the Vinh Phu custard apple brand; connecting with traders and fruit store chains for consumption for people. This is also a step for custard apple to become an OCOP product, contributing to increasing value and stabilizing output."

In season, from gardens to traditional markets, clean fruit stores, Vinh Phu custard apples are on the shelves, favored by consumers. Everywhere is bustling with the scene of custard apple buying and selling. Traders from many places flock to the gardens to buy, and the products are sold as soon as they are made. Custard apple growers not only have high income but also have the motivation to expand their scale and improve techniques to improve the quality of the fruit.