Sweet and sour persimmon season in Nam Anh

(Baonghean) - Persimmons in Nam Anh commune (Nam Dan) have long been famous for their sweetness and deliciousness, and are well received by the market. But behind that sweetness there are always hardships and worries...

At this time, along National Highway 46 from Muou Bridge to Nam Dan Town, many people spread plastic tarps on the sidewalk to sell persimmons. Occasionally, you will see a few trucks loaded with red envelopes with license plates from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa heading north and many motorbikes carrying a few red envelopes from Xuan Hoa intersection, Dai Hue mountain area following each other to the national highway, going up to Do Luong or down to Vinh. That scene lasts throughout the persimmon season until the end of the 11th lunar month of the year.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Duong and his wife Ho Thi Hong next to a persimmon tree that produces 200 kg of fruit.

Persimmon trees in Nam Anh have taken root for decades. On average, each household has several trees that have yielded nearly a ton of fruit. Mr. Nguyen Van Chat in Team 6, Nam Anh Commune, who has grown persimmons for many years, said: “In my garden, there are now 6 persimmon trees that are yielding fruit. The ancient persimmon tree planted in 1968 has yielded nearly 300 kg of fruit this season, and the 5 trees planted in 1993 have yielded a total of about 500 kg. Last year, my family sold them for 12,000 VND/kg, earning 7.4 million VND, and this year it may be less. Out of 220 households in this hamlet, 115 grow persimmons, with the largest being Mr. Ho Viet Vinh, who sold 2 tons of fruit last year. In Hamlet 7, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi has the largest persimmon tree in the commune, yielding 400 to 500 kg of fruit each year.”

According to Mr. Ho Viet Sy - Vice Chairman in charge of the commune's economy, out of 9 hamlets of Nam Anh, there are 4 hamlets (from hamlet 5 to hamlet 9) where people have income from this traditional tree. Persimmon trees were planted during the years of the resistance war against the US, following the policy of evacuating people from 4 villages of Duc Son, Duc Nghia, Tien Phong, Thanh Cong to the foot of Dai Hue range... In particular, within 10 years (from 1991 to 2000), the commune was supported by the project "restoring local persimmon varieties" by the Department of Science and Technology. Since then, along with the VAC gardening movement of the commune's Farmers' Association, Nam Anh persimmon trees have truly become a brand. Depending on the weather, each year the entire commune has an estimated output of about 500 tons of fruit, generating a revenue of about 6 billion VND. That is a very meaningful number for the hilly area of ​​the commune with a lack of fields, poor soil, and lack of irrigation water. However, to get rich from persimmon trees, you must know how to combine planting and finding output for the product.

In the commune, there are currently 5 households that collect, soak, incubate and trade in large quantities. They purchase more than 70% of the persimmons sold in the market inside and outside the province. The couple Nguyen Hoang Duong and Ho Thi Hong (Hamlet 6) have been doing this job for 4 years now. Mr. Duong said: "During the season, we sell an average of 1 ton of fruit per day. In addition to customers from Vinh, Do Luong and neighboring communes, there are also customers from Thanh Hoa, Hanoi, Hai Duong. Each trip they carry from 2 to 4 tons...". Although the work is hard and never stops, the couple earns an average profit of about 10 million VND per month. Thanks to the persimmon garden and the persimmon purchasing and consumption service, the family's economy has improved, providing for their eldest daughter to study at the University of Finance and Banking in Ho Chi Minh City. However, this job requires a lot of capital and sometimes they have to accept losses. Regarding capital, there must be 3 parts: to deposit to buy when the fruit is still young on the tree, each year "spreading fruit" can get tens of millions of dong to be sure. In addition, there is capital to invest in soaking and incubation tools and capital for customers to pay later. "Profits and losses cannot be predicted, if the year is favorable, buying 8 and selling 12, it will also bring a good income, but there are years when the price of persimmons decreases, the selling price is equal to the "spreading fruit" price, so we still try to break even. Doing this job is also full of hardships and difficulties" - Mr. Duong shared.

The seller is like that, the persimmon grower also encounters many difficulties and hardships. Even in the selection of varieties, this type of tree requires meticulousness and effort to create varieties, but the quantity is small, unlike other species that are grafted and grown en masse. To create persimmon varieties, the roots of the host tree must be blocked, waiting for the roots to sprout, then skillfully dug them up and planted. Careful care is required for 3 years before the seedlings can be planted elsewhere. On the dry, hard soil of the Nam Anh hills, deep, large holes must be dug, and fertile soil mixed with manure or decomposed garbage must be poured. Persimmon trees are very picky, if the soil is flooded, they will die, but if they lack water, they will be stunted, with small and very astringent fruits. Harvesting time is also quite a task. Both egg persimmons (large, red fruits) and cynical persimmons (small, yellow fruits) must go through the process of being fermented in vinegar or soaked in water.

Ms. Ho Thi Hong (Hamlet 6) said: “Before soaking, you must wash it but do not scratch the skin. In warm weather, you can soak it for 3 days and 3 nights before removing it, but in cold weather, you have to soak it for 5 days and 5 nights. If you soak it for too long, it will lose its sweetness, but if you don’t soak it enough, the fruit will be astringent. The way to make vinegar is the same as with bananas, pineapples, and other fruits. Soaking it in water or vinegar requires staying up all night, your hands and feet will always be wet, and you can easily get rheumatism. The trouble is that people don’t know or intentionally speak ill of it, spreading rumors about adding toxic chemicals, making buyers hesitate to eat it, afraid of being poisoned. Making a kilo of persimmons, from planting to serving, is inherently difficult, and those false rumors cause even more damage to the people.” Selling persimmons is also difficult for households that “produce and consume by themselves”. Along the road or at the flea market in Nam Anh commune, households keep soliciting, many people can only sell a few hundred kilograms of persimmons and it takes them all day. Some households have to go to Highway 46, pack rice, and have a quick lunch to sell a few kilos of fruit. During the harvest season, they have to work in the winter and harvest persimmons at the same time, forcing households to hire workers from outside the commune to pick. Each day, the wages are from 100,000 to 200,000 VND. Therefore, there is not much profit left.

Nam Anh persimmon trees are similar to many other crops. When the harvest is bad, they suffer losses, and when the harvest is good, the price drops. Growing the product is difficult, but selling it is even more difficult. Therefore, persimmon growers in Nam Anh always "urgently" hope that businesses, levels, and sectors will cooperate and support the purchase of their products. Only then can they be paid fairly and be able to maintain and expand traditional persimmon trees...

Article and photos:Thanh Quynh