Super early Thai jackfruit gives high efficiency in Con Cuong

Previously, households mainly planted traditional jackfruit varieties such as tough jackfruit and sweet jackfruit, which could be harvested after about 4-5 years of planting. In order to supply jackfruit products to the market all year round, recently, many families in Con Cuong district have planted the super early Thai jackfruit variety.

Unlike other jackfruit varieties, the super early Thai jackfruit has little fiber, crispy segments, and a rich, sweet, and aromatic flavor. Therefore, Thai jackfruit is currently a popular product, currently priced at 20,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

Super early Thai jackfruit variety starts to yield after about 18 months of planting; on average 5 - 10 fruits per tree: Photo: Ba Hau

As a pioneer in bringing jackfruit trees to grow locally, Ms. Ha Thi Anh in Tan Dan village, Bong Khe commune said that in 2017, her family went all the way to Hanoi Agricultural University 1 to buy 100 Thai jackfruit trees, each seedling costing 50,000 VND. On an area of ​​2,800 m²Previously, planting short-term crops was ineffective. The family planted 100 jackfruit trees and now they are harvesting.

"Super early Thai jackfruit can be harvested after about 18 months of planting and the yield will gradually increase from the second year onwards. Although each super early Thai jackfruit tree in the home garden is only about 2 - 3 m tall, on average there are about 5 - 8 fruits/tree; each fruit weighs from 3 - 5 kg.

Although it is only the second year, last year the family earned tens of millions of dong from selling jackfruit. Starting next year, the amount of fruit will be greater" - Ms. Ha Thi Anh said.

To avoid pests, after the fruit has borne fruit, people use bags to cover it. Photo: Ba Hau

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan in Lam Tra village, Bong Khe commune is also growing nearly 100 Thai jackfruit trees. According to Mr. Tan, growing jackfruit does not cost as much as longan or orange trees, but requires regular watering, fertilizing and monitoring to prevent stem and fruit borers.

After each harvest, you must cut off excess branches so that the tree receives enough light to help the fruit grow big and sweet. In addition, you should prune the fruit at the top of the branch, keeping only the fruit that hugs the trunk and is close to the base to achieve the best quality.

"In the first year of fruiting, only keep a maximum of about 3 - 4 fruits/tree. When the tree is mature, the number of fruits can increase more. In particular, the longer the Thai super early jackfruit is planted, the sweeter and more delicious the segments will be," Mr. Tan added.

The 100-tree Thai jackfruit garden of Ms. Ha Thi Anh's family in Tan Dan village, Bong Khe commune (Con Cuong) is being harvested. Photo: Ba Hau

Currently, Bong Khe commune has 5 households growing 50-100 trees; the rest mainly intercrop with many other fruit trees. Although Thai jackfruit trees are effective, authorities advise people to be cautious when massively expanding the area.