The one who sows sweetness in arid lands.
From abandoned rice fields in Tam Quang, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue boldly reclaimed the land and introduced high-quality melon varieties into production. Not only has she created a significant source of income in this arid region, but her systematic approach, linking production with the market, has also opened up a new direction for highland agriculture.
Transforming barren land into million-dollar melon fields.
Amidst the scorching heat of Tam Quang border commune, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue's melon garden remains lush and laden with fruit. Few would have guessed that just a few years ago, this area was a deserted field overgrown with weeds taller than a person's head. When Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue began reclaiming the land, it was already covered in vegetation like a forest, to the point that villagers doubted whether Ms. Hue and her husband could even manage to reclaim it.
Ms. Hue explained that this area originally belonged to her parents. Due to their advanced age and declining health, they had left the land fallow for many years. After more than a decade of traveling and trading in various provinces and cities, she and her husband decided to return to their hometown to engage in agriculture and chose her parents' land to "start their business."
"Seeing the fields buried under rocks and soil, covered in weeds, everyone felt discouraged. But my husband and I thought, the land won't let down those who know how to cultivate it. If we keep working, we will one day reap the rewards," Huệ recalled.
With nearly 3 acres of land, she has transformed it into a miniature farm specializing in watermelons, cantaloupes, and sweet corn. To achieve high efficiency in this arid region, Ms. Hue boldly applied technology to production.
She installed an automatic drip irrigation system throughout her melon garden. She shared that this system significantly saves water compared to traditional farming methods, which is extremely important for highland areas that often lack irrigation water.
Although water-efficient, drip irrigation requires longer watering times for the water to penetrate deeply. The watering schedule typically starts from 4 PM to 10 PM, and continues from 3 AM to 9 AM to ensure the plants always have sufficient moisture, especially during the fruit growth stage. In addition to the irrigation system, she also uses plastic mulch over the entire area to retain moisture and prevent weeds.
Thanks to meticulous care, her melon garden has yielded impressive results. Under favorable weather conditions, without storms, each plot of seedless American striped red melons can yield up to 2 tons. Her cantaloupe crop is also thriving, with some exceptionally large fruits. She says that this year's melon harvest is "both bountiful and profitable" right from the start of the season, ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 VND per kilogram.
In her garden, there are melons weighing 4-5 kg each. Besides being trusted by local people, Ms. Hue also connects with distributors to sell wholesale to lowland areas. With a yield of 2 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters) for this specialty melon variety, which fetches a good price, it brings much higher economic efficiency compared to growing traditional rice or peanuts on the same area of land.
Farming with a market-oriented mindset.
The reason Ms. Hue chose seedless American striped melons (commonly called American striped melons) and honeydew melons instead of regular melon varieties is because the market's taste is changing. She did thorough research and found that American striped melons have superior quality: fragrant from the skin to the flesh, with a rich, sweet flavor.
Years of experience in trading before completely switching to farming gave Ms. Hue a keen insight into the market. Instead of worrying about sales, she proactively connected with wholesalers in other localities.
All the produce is sold as soon as it's made; on some days, she even sells several hundred kilograms of melons through the delivery system.
Not only has she enriched herself, but Ms. Hue has also become an agricultural "expert" in the local area. As the first person to introduce the striped melon variety to this region in 2023, she is always ready to share her experience with the surrounding farmers.
During the buying and selling of goods, she often diligently guides farmers on cultivation techniques, pest and disease monitoring, and water management methods for crops. She understands that if the entire region develops high-quality products, the competitiveness of local agricultural products will be significantly enhanced.
What worries Ms. Hue most right now is no longer drought or pests, but securing a stable plot of land for safe long-term investment.