25 year old man gets rich from growing lemons

(Baonghean.vn) - Although only 25 years old, Dau Van Nhu (Hamlet 4 - Nam Loc - Nam Dan) is already the owner of a lemon farm combined with livestock farming, earning 20 million VND/month. He is one of the typical faces recognized as "Outstanding Youth of Nghe An Province in 2016".

Visiting Mr. Dau Van Nhu's farm right in the lemon season, he took us to visit the large premises with more than 1,200 lemon trees in harvest, he happily said: This is the 4th harvest, this season the lemon harvest is about 2 tons, estimated at nearly 60 million VND. While introducing the model of a comprehensive crop and livestock farm that is bringing in high income, he also told about the early days of starting his business.

Nhu's hometown is in the Lam River area with the advantage of alluvial land resources. After finishing high school, he was determined to stay in his hometown to start a business. Nhu boldly persuaded his parents to let him sell part of his residential land and borrowed money from banks and relatives... to get more than 200 million VND to start a business.

One third of the 4,500 lemon trees on Mr. Dau Van Nhu's farm have yielded a harvest, generating a high income of more than 200 million VND/year.

He contracted 5 hectares of poor, abandoned land and started building a farm model combining crop and livestock farming. At first, he implemented the plan of "taking short-term to support long-term", growing vegetables, corn, peanuts, etc. and raising chickens and pigs. However, due to lack of knowledge, techniques, and experience in raising livestock, along with unfavorable weather, in the first two years, many livestock died from diseases.

Realizing that the sandy land silted up by the Lam River was suitable for lemon trees, he changed direction to develop this crop model.

He accumulated his own experience: intercropping cassava to shade the lemons in the summer, monitoring the growth of the plants to prevent pests and diseases; fertilizing at the right time (usually in May and November) to produce lemons in time for the season and fruit... thanks to that, the lemons always have high productivity.

He invested capital and hired more workers to plant thousands of lemon trees and gradually expanded the planting area. After three years, his farm was covered with 4,500 lemon trees. One-third of the trees are yielding harvests, two crops a year, each crop yields an average of 2-3 tons, earning over 150 million VND.

Starting from scratch, with the determination to turn rocks into rice on his homeland, young man Dau Van Nhu has achieved success. In addition to growing lemons, he also raises pigs and 16 breeding cows and buffaloes to utilize some of the manure for crops; each year he sells 4-5 calves, earning about 50 million VND. In total, his comprehensive farm brings in an income of over 200 million VND per year.

The young farm owner also creates jobs for 4 regular workers and more than 10 seasonal workers in the locality.

Sharing the secret to success, Mr. Nhu said: Land resources in the countryside are often available, so rural youth need to be proactive in solving the problem of capital and learning, drawing and equipping themselves with technical knowledge of cultivation and animal husbandry. With this model, I plant cassava to shade the lemons in the summer, monitor the growth of the plants to prevent pests and diseases; fertilize at the right time (usually in May and November) to produce lemons in time for the season and fruit...

The former wasteland is now a lush green. He plans to continue to cover the farm with more than 5 hectares of fruit trees and increase the herd of breeding and grazing buffalo and cows.

With an income that many rural youth dream of (over 20 million VND/month). Currently, his model creates jobs for 3-4 regular workers with an income of 3 million/month, and nearly 10 seasonal workers.

Moonlight