Xuan Dinh sapodilla village in the western region of Nghe An

Present in Khe Tin village for nearly 40 years, the sapodilla tree, originating from the North, has become the main crop grown in the home gardens of local households. Photo: Ba Hau

About 10 km from the center of Con Cuong town, the first impression of Khe Tin village is the perennial sapodilla gardens covered in lush green. It is known that sapodilla trees were planted on this land in the 80s of the last century. At that time, a villager brought seeds from the North to plant in his garden. Seeing that this tree was easy to grow and gave sweet fruit, he later grafted branches and propagated them for some households in the village to plant together.

At this time, sapodilla in Khe Tin is in harvest season. Photo: Minh Hanh

Mr. Tran Doan Dan is one of the people who have been attached to the sapodilla tree for a long time in Khe Tin village. In 1997, on his family's garden land, he started growing this tree, initially planting only 3 trees, gradually finding ways to learn from experience, and propagating seedlings to plant. Currently, his family has 30 trees. A few years ago, the weather was favorable, and the family's 30 sapodilla trees brought in an income of over 40 million VND/year.

Every 4-5 persimmons weigh 1kg and are sold for 30,000 VND/kg. Photo: Ba Hau

Mr. Dan said that sapodilla is an easy-to-grow plant, and the care technique is also simple. Other plants degenerate after a few harvests. Sapodilla trees, on the other hand, are greener the older they are. Most of the trees in his garden are up to 20 years old. This is also a resinous plant so it is difficult to get pests, if any, it is only stem borers and sooty leaf disease. When pests appear, pesticides are only sprayed 1-2 times a year.

According to Mr. Dan, some households in the village have also tried to grow some varieties of persimmons, but it can be seen that the Xuan Dinh sapodilla variety (Tu Liem - Hanoi) is the most delicious. And currently in Khe Tin, people mainly grow this variety of sapodilla. Xuan Dinh sapodilla fruit is not very big but is slender and even, with a thin, earthy yellow skin. Because of the thin skin, the sapodilla fibers are thick and juicy. When ripe, the taste is sweet and the aroma lasts a long time.

From only a few households growing, now in Khe Tin village there are 65/79 households growing sapodilla. The largest household has 30 trees. Photo: Minh Hanh

Not far from Mr. Dan's house, Mrs. Chu Thi My's family has also grown sapodilla for nearly 20 years. With nearly 10 trees now, each year they bring in an additional income of nearly 5 million VND. According to Mrs. My, the way to pickle sapodilla is an important step that determines the delicious taste of the sapodilla.

To have a batch of ripe, sweet, fragrant and beautiful persimmons, the grower has to spend a lot of effort: When picking persimmons to make vinegar, you must choose old, round, tight and smooth fruits with a slightly pinkish red color, then soak them in cool water for about 10 minutes to remove the pink powder. When washing persimmons, you must choose a soft cloth or sponge, wipe evenly to avoid scratching the persimmon skin. Wash the persimmons and dry them in a sunny, airy place until completely dry, then put them in vinegar. After arranging the persimmons in a jar or pot, the people here often burn a bundle of incense, break them into a bowl, place them in the jar and cover tightly, avoiding opening them many times.

After picking, people ripen the sapodilla before selling it. Photo: Ba Hau

Due to the economic efficiency of the sapodilla tree, currently 65/79 households in Khe Tin village grow this tree. A family has at least 5-10 trees, and at most 30 trees. The highest price of 1 kg of ripe sapodilla at this time is 30,000 VND. Each year, an average tree produces 30-40 kg. Sapodilla is mainly sold by people in the district and some neighboring localities./.