Hot weather, coconut climbing job brings 'huge' income

(Baonghean.vn) - The sunny days have just begun, but the demand for refreshments has increased rapidly. This is the time when coconut collectors search everywhere to find supplies for markets and beverage shops.

They say they are buyers, but they themselves are the ones who directly swing themselves on the towering coconut trees.

Climbing coconuts is quite hard and dangerous work. Photo: Huyen Trang

Mr. Hoang Dinh Vu in Thach Son commune, Anh Son district, has been pulling his rickshaw everywhere since early morning, looking for places with coconut trees. Mr. Vu said: There are not many coconut trees in Nghe An, and even fewer in mountainous districts, so finding a place with coconut trees is difficult, climbing up to the top of the coconut trees and picking them down is even more difficult, but because of life and the desire to earn more income, he and his companion run everywhere regardless of distance.

This job depends on the weather, the hotter the weather, the more you have to walk. The tools for picking coconuts are quite simple, just a sharp sickle and a rope about a few dozen meters long are enough to do the job.

After being picked, the coconuts are tied to a rope and pulled down. Photo: Huyen Trang

After more than 4 years of doing this job, climbing coconut trees has become quite simple for Mr. Vu. With a sickle tucked in and a rope tied to his waist, Mr. Vu quickly climbed to the top of the nearly 20m tall coconut tree. He reached out to grab the bunch of coconuts laden with fruit right above his head and chopped them down. According to Mr. Vu, the fastest and most effective way to buy coconuts from the top is to have 2 people. One person picks and ties the coconuts tightly to the rope, the other person stays on the ground and pulls the coconuts down.

If only one person is allowed to drop the coconut from above, however, this method can easily cause the coconut to crack, the coconut water to shake violently, causing it to sour... Each coconut is usually purchased by Mr. Vu at the garden for 7,000 - 8,000 VND and resold at the market or imported to a drink shop for 15,000 VND. This is the beginning of the season, the price is still high, so on average he earns no less than 500,000 VND per day.

The result of a coconut picking session by Mr. Hoang Dinh Vu in Thach Son commune. Photo: Huyen Trang

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Hoi Son commune, he has been picking coconuts for 2 years now. Mr. Hai said: Climbing and picking coconuts requires you to know your limits, because in reality there is no form of protection so it is quite dangerous.

It is called a profession, but every year, coconut pickers only work during the hot months, partly because of the weather, partly because the number of coconuts is limited. During the remaining months, coconut pickers switch to other jobs such as farming, construction, porters...

After being harvested, coconuts are transported by cart to the market and beverage shops. Photo: Huyen Trang

It was almost noon when Mr. Vu and Mr. Hai finished their work. More than 100 coconuts were loaded onto the truck. From there, they followed them to the market and to the coffee shop to supply to consumers.

Huyen Trang