Young Tho ethnic man "famous" with Quang Tien pink grapefruit tree

When asked about the economic success of Thai Hoa youth, people always mention Le Van Hung, born in 1991, a young Tho ethnic man with a high income from the Quang Tien pink grapefruit growing model in Le Loi block, Quang Tien ward.

Mr. Le Van Hung takes care of grapefruit trees. Photo: Minh Thai

Previously, Mr. Le Van Hung's family had nearly 1 hectare of land, mainly growing crops such as peanuts, beans, or industrial crops such as sugarcane... Although it took a lot of effort, it did not bring high economic efficiency.

In 2011, the Ward Youth Union allowed him to visit and learn about local grapefruit models. Realizing that the Quang Tien pink grapefruit variety was easy to grow and care for, popular with many people and had a high selling price, with the support of his relatives, he boldly brought 220 Quang Tien grapefruit trees to plant in his family's garden.

With long-term fruit trees like grapefruit, it takes the fourth year onwards for them to start bearing fruit. Therefore, in the first years, instead of focusing on harvesting fruit, Mr. Hung invested in tree care.

Thanks to his experience, the grapefruit trees grew well, and from the fourth year onwards, the grapefruit garden yielded harvests. Every year, in August (lunar calendar), the family bustled with traders from all over coming to the garden to order delicious, beautiful grapefruit. Thanks to that, his family's grapefruits were present in many markets inside and outside the province.

To avoid breaking branches, grapefruit growers must use stakes and ropes to support the fruit. Photo: Minh Thai

Thanks to the knowledge of care and disease prevention, the grapefruit garden produces high yields every year. Mr. Hung said: "This year's grapefruit crop is much better than previous years, the grapefruit is less susceptible to pests and diseases, and produces a lot of fruit. My family has nearly 220 trees, each grapefruit tree here has an average of 100 - 120 fruits, each fruit weighs about 1.5 - 2 kg and yields about 2.5 to 3 quintals/tree. Last year, the selling price at the garden was only 20 - 22 thousand VND/kg, but this year it has increased by one and a half times, currently the selling price at the garden ranges from 27 - 35 thousand VND/kg".

It is expected that after deducting expenses, his grapefruit garden will generate an income of more than 200 million VND/year.

Sharing the secret to growing Quang Tien grapefruit, Mr. Hung said: “To grow delicious Quang Tien pink grapefruit, first of all, growers must choose to buy quality seedlings, grafted from the middle branches, absolutely not taking the top branches. Every year, after harvesting the fruit, the tree must be fertilized with base fertilizers, watered to keep it moist, cut and prune the branches, then whitewash from top to bottom to prevent insects from sticking to the trunk and branches when fruiting. Spray flowers and fruit. From now until harvest, the tree and fruit must be regularly checked to detect pests and diseases early and treat them, and at the same time add fertilizer to weak trees."

Not only is he bold, daring to think and act in economic development, Mr. Le Van Hung is known to everyone as a dynamic and enthusiastic Youth Union officer in the activities of the Youth Union as well as the locality.

Secretary of Quang Tien Ward Youth Union Phan Thi Hoai Thuong said, “Not only is Hung good at business, he is also the one who “lights the fire” for the movement of union members and youth to develop the local economy. In the coming time, the ward Youth Union will organize for union members and youth in the ward to learn from the experience of growing grapefruit of union member Le Van Hung. From this model, many young people in the ward have more confidence and motivation in developing agricultural production in their hometown.”

Youth Union members come to visit and learn from Le Van Hung's model. Photo: Minh Thai

It is the courage, perseverance, determination to overcome difficulties, and the spirit of learning that have brought initial success to the Tho ethnic young man. Thanks to the development of the Quang Tien pink grapefruit economic model, Le Van Hung's family has had a more stable life, becoming a typical example of young people in economic development and getting rich in the locality.