Planting 35 foreign papaya trees yielded 15 million VND in the first harvest.

Because the rice paddy land surrounding his house is high-lying and lacks water, making production difficult and yielding low productivity, Mr. Ho Van Phuong sought ways to diversify his crops and increase income per unit area.

The model of growing Taiwanese papaya varieties by Mr. Ho Van Phuong's family in Hamlet 12, Quynh Hoa commune (Quynh Luu district). Photo: Hong Dien

After researching different plant varieties through the media and visiting southern provinces, he realized that papaya trees are easy to grow, yield high production, and are easy to sell. In 2016, he decided to go to the Central Institute of Plant Breeding to learn techniques in planting and caring for the trees, and then he bought 35 Taiwanese papaya seedlings to plant.

This type of tree is easy to grow and suitable for dry weather conditions, so after 6 months of care, the papaya trees yield large, evenly ripened fruits with yellow flesh and a sweet, fragrant taste. With just the number of trees mentioned, Mr. Phuong harvested 1.5 tons of fruit, which traders bought directly from the garden at 10,000 VND/kg, bringing in about 15 million VND. From the first harvest, he harvests subsequent papaya crops every two months.

Each Thai papaya tree yields approximately 180 kg of fruit. Photo: Hong Dien

Recognizing the promising economic benefits of growing papaya, he reclaimed land in an area of ​​1,500 square meters.² He bought 200 more Thai papaya saplings around his house to plant. According to Mr. Phuong, each Thai papaya weighs 3.5 kg, and one tree yields 180 kg.

During cultivation, he consistently applies organic fertilizer, well-rotted manure, and lime to kill parasites that cause aphids and leaf-rolling diseases in papaya trees. At the same time, he covers the ground with a layer of straw to retain moisture, loosen the soil, and prevent weeds from growing. When the trees flower and bear fruit, he increases the amount of potassium fertilizer to ensure the sweetness of the fruit. In addition, to ensure large, uniform fruit and high yields, Mr. Phuong also thins out the fruit when it is still small.

Thanks to scientific farming methods, Mr. Phuong's family's papayas are considered a clean product.

Thanks to its attractive appearance and high nutritional value, papaya is popular in the market; traders seek out his family to buy the product.

To make use of the empty space under the trees, Mr. Phuong also intercropped with waxy potatoes and pumpkins. After 5 months, he harvested 450 kg of waxy potatoes, selling them at 20,000 VND/kg; and after nearly 3 months, he harvested 1 ton of pumpkins, selling them at 3,000 VND/kg. Currently, Mr. Phuong's model is attracting many local people who come to visit and learn from his experience to apply it to their own families.

Many people visit Mr. Phuong's house to observe and learn how to grow the exotic papaya variety. Photo: Hong Dien

Mr. Ho Van Phuong's successful model of growing Taiwanese and Thai papaya varieties has contributed to diversifying crops in Quynh Luu. In particular, with his scientific approach, avoiding pesticides, and allowing the fruit to ripen naturally, he supplies a significant amount of clean fruit to the market each year, giving consumers peace of mind.