High income from the 'multi-crop' farming model.

(Baonghean.vn) - With their "multi-crop" farming model, the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong, residing in Hoa Nam Hamlet, Hoa Binh Town, earns hundreds of millions of VND per year.

Mr. Thuong shared: "Previously, on an area of ​​over 1 hectare, my family only focused on growing mangoes, but the economic efficiency was not high. Faced with that reality, after much consideration, I traveled all the way to Binh Thuan to visit fruit tree cultivation models there to apply what I learned. Accordingly, red-fleshed dragon fruit was the first crop I chose to plant, because the soil and climate there are quite similar."

The dragon fruit orchard with 360 trees belonging to Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong's family. Photo: Dinh Tuan

With their savings and some borrowed money, in 2014 his family invested 500 million VND to buy seedlings, build concrete pillars to support the dragon fruit trees, and install an irrigation system. After three years of planting, the dragon fruit orchard with 360 trees is now bearing fruit, yielding a steady income of over 100 million VND per harvest.

According to Mr. Thuong: Red-fleshed dragon fruit can be grown in any type of soil; however, attention should be paid to drainage to prevent water stagnation during heavy rains. During hot, dry seasons, appropriate watering is necessary, using grass or straw to retain moisture at the base of the plant. Because the plant is drought-tolerant, has few pests and diseases, and doesn't require much care, it only needs basic fertilization with manure, limited nitrogen fertilizer, and sufficient sunlight to thrive. To plant dragon fruit, concrete posts 2.3m high are needed, with 1.6m above ground for the plant to grow and spread its branches. The distance between rows and between plants should be 2.5m, ensuring equal access to nutrients and sunlight. During cultivation, growers must prune the branches to ensure the canopy spreads evenly...

Mr. Thuong is pruning his family's dragon fruit garden. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Red-fleshed dragon fruit has a rich, sweet, and refreshing taste, making it very popular, and there's no need to worry about market demand. With an average selling price of 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg, one sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of red-fleshed dragon fruit can yield an income of 10 to 12 million VND, a yield 3 to 4 times higher than other agricultural crops. After just over a year of planting, the trees bear their first fruits, and from the second year onwards, the yield stabilizes. Each red-fleshed dragon fruit tree yields about 10-15 kg of fruit, with each harvest lasting from May when the weather warms up until the end of November, with a harvest every 25 days. Remarkably, dragon fruit trees have a long lifespan, only needing to be replanted after about 20 years.

The 150-tree pink lemon orchard of Mr. Thuong's family has borne fruit. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Along with dragon fruit, his family also grows 150 lime trees, 30 avocado trees, 10 Thai jackfruit trees, 15 star apple trees, and 10 Buddha's hand citron trees, most of which have already started bearing fruit. According to Mr. Thuong's calculations, next year when all the trees bear fruit simultaneously, combined with the dragon fruit, his family will have a stable income of over 200 million VND per year. This doesn't include additional income from raising chickens, pigeons, etc.

Dinh Tuan