With a bumper custard apple harvest, farmers in Vinh Phu pocketed hundreds of millions of dong.

In the early morning, the custard apple orchard, spanning over 3 acres, belonging to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Van's family (Kim Nghia hamlet) was already bustling with people picking fruit and local traders coming to buy it.

Ms. Van happily shared: “This year, every tree is laden with fruit. Our orchard of over 200 trees yielded about 2 tons, bringing in over 80 million VND. The custard apples are organically grown, so they are fragrant, sweet, and popular with consumers. Especially, custard apple trees require little care, have stable prices, and provide a much higher income than many other crops.”

Not only Mrs. Van's family, but many other households in Vinh Phu are also enjoying a bountiful custard apple harvest. A prime example is Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cuong's family, who owns a 400-tree custard apple orchard. Thanks to the application of an automatic irrigation system to maintain moisture, his orchard yields high productivity, with each tree producing more than 10 kg of fruit.

This season, he harvested nearly 5 tons, earning over 200 million VND. Mr. Cuong shared: "Since installing the automatic irrigation system, the trees have grown evenly, the fruit is beautiful, and it sells at a very good price. Honestly, the custard apple trees have helped my family have a stable income, allowing us to confidently continue this work in the long term."

According to reports, custard apples in Vinh Phu are having a bumper crop this year, with yields increasing by 1.5 times compared to last year. At the beginning of the season, the selling price reached 60,000 VND/kg, dropping to 45,000-50,000 VND/kg during the peak season, and even falling to 35,000 VND/kg at times after storms. However, thanks to the high yield, the people are still making a decent profit.

Ms. Pham Thi Phuong, a long-time custard apple grower, said: "Each custard apple tree brings in an income of 500,000 to 700,000 VND. Although prices fluctuate, everyone is happy this year because the custard apples are abundant and the fruit is beautiful."

The entire Vinh Phu ward currently has about 10 hectares of custard apple trees, mainly concentrated in Kim Nghia hamlet. On average, each household plants a few dozen to a few hundred trees, with some households having as many as 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 heavily dependent on the weather, so people were not enthusiastic about growing them, and some even cut them down to plant other crops.

The turning point came seven years ago when Mr. Nguyen Ba Ngoc, a local biology teacher, pioneered the experiment of artificial pollination for custard apple trees. Mr. Ngoc recalled: “Artificial pollination allows growers to control the number of fruits on each branch. As a result, the trees are healthier, the fruits are larger and more uniform, and the yield increases six to seven times compared to before.”

The teacher's custard apple orchard, laden with fruit, has become a destination for local people to visit and learn from. From there, this method was quickly replicated, reviving the entire custard apple growing region of Vinh Phu, turning the once-removed tree into a key crop in the development of the orchard economy.

In addition to improving farming techniques, the local people also focus on organic farming, minimizing the use of chemical pesticides to ensure the custard apples are safe and of high quality.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Le, Chairwoman of the Vinh Phu Ward Farmers' Association, said: “Custard apple trees are very suitable for the local soil and climate. The Association regularly coordinates training for farmers on pollination techniques and organic care. At the same time, we have established a professional association for custard apple growers with 10 participating households, creating production linkages and aiming to build a brand for Vinh Phu custard apples; connecting with traders and fruit retail chains to sell the produce for farmers. This is also a step towards making custard apples an OCOP product, contributing to increasing their value and stabilizing output.”

During the season, from orchards to local markets and organic fruit stores, Vinh Phu custard apples are readily available on shelves and are popular with consumers. Everywhere is bustling with the buying and selling of custard apples. Traders from many places flock to the orchards to purchase the produce, and everything produced is sold immediately. Custard apple growers not only earn a higher income but also have the motivation to expand their scale and improve techniques to enhance fruit quality.