Growing strange jackfruit varieties, old farmer earns billions every year

In Vi Dong commune, Vi Thuy district, Hau Giang province, old farmer Nguyen Minh Trang (70 years old) is known as the "ancestor" of red-fleshed jackfruit trees in the region. Mr. Trang was the first person to bring this strange jackfruit variety to the locality to plant, and is also the one who sells jackfruit seedlings to the locals.

Mr. Trang said that in the past, his garden grew many traditional fruit trees but the economic efficiency was not high. In 2003, during a visit to an agricultural fair in Can Tho, he sawjackfruitThe strange fruit has brick red citrus, sweet taste, chewy and crunchy. So he bought 50 seedlings to try planting.

Billionaire farmer Nguyen Minh Trang next to his "money-making" red-fleshed jackfruit tree. Photo: Bao Ky

Bringing the strange tree back to plant, after a year and a half of waiting, the jackfruit finally came to fruition.harvestHowever, his first feeling was one of extreme disappointment when only one out of 50 trees was as advertised by the seller.

"I felt like I was cheated, but at least I had one tree left for breeding. From this one tree, I grafted many more, and propagated enough to plant in a 1.5-hectare garden. I cut down all the other trees, even though they were bearing fruit, to switch to growing red-fleshed jackfruit," Mr. Trang said about the "gamble" he "took" more than 15 years ago.

The red-fleshed jackfruit garden of an old farmer in Hau Giang produces very large fruits. Photo: Bao Ky

According to Mr. Trang, red-fleshed jackfruit is easy to grow, easy to care for and not picky about soil. Plants can start bearing fruit from August and have a very long fruiting period. The tree bears fruit all year round, with many fruits and high weight, from 7-15 kg/fruit. When the jackfruit is ripe, Mr. Trang will cover it with a net to prevent pests. On an area of ​​1.5 hectares of jackfruit that is being harvested, Mr. Trang can harvest up to 4 tons of fruit per month.

Because the price of red-fleshed jackfruit istraderThe purchase price is very high, fluctuating at 70,000 VND/kg, so each year Mr. Trang can pocket up to 3 billion VND from the garden's profits.

Red-fleshed jackfruit produces very large fruit. Photo: Bao Ky

Jackfruit segments are brick red in color, both chewy and crunchy, with a sweet and slightly sour taste that is very appetizing. Photo: Bao Ky

Not only does the old farmer sell jackfruit, he now also sells jackfruit seedlings, yielding about 1,000 trees per year. The old farmer's income is not only the dream of other farmers but also the envy of many businessmen.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Le Van Thanh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Vi Dong commune commented: "Compared to other fruit varieties, the red-fleshed jackfruit that Mr. Trang is growing has a lot of potential. If Thai jackfruit continuouslyfall in price"Red-fleshed jackfruit always has a stable high price. Since Mr. Trang's model was developed, many farmers in the commune have switched to growing red-fleshed jackfruit, earning a very good income," said Mr. Thanh./.