Khanh Son: Developing areas specializing in fruit tree cultivation

In the new development phase, Khanh Son district continues to determine the agricultural economy as the main force. Therefore, the district is focusing on building and implementing structural transformation of the agricultural sector, building a large-scale centralized agricultural production model, applying high technology to bring high efficiency.

Planting trees with high economic value

Coming to Khanh Son in the last days of June, we were taken to fruitful durian gardens in Son Binh commune and To Hap town. With only about 20 days left until the durian harvest, gardeners expressed their joy that this year's crop is favorable, promising a good harvest.

Durian garden intercropped with mangosteen and pepper of Bo Bo Kha's family

Taking us to his 4ha durian garden intercropped with pepper and mangosteen, Bo Bo Kha (in To Hap town) said that today's results are thanks to his effective application of crop conversion according to instructions from the district’s professional staff. Growing durian since 2004, at first, he only spontaneously planted a few dozen trees mixed with coffee. Due to spontaneous planting and not knowing how to care for them, intercropped coffee trees weren’t absorbed all the nutrients from the soil, so durian grows poorly. In 2010, with seed support from the district's agriculture sector, Bo Bo Kha began expanding the durian growing area with better quality durian varieties. He and other members of the fruit growing cooperative participated in durian planting and care classes organized by the district. “With the guidance of agricultural officials, I replaced ineffective coffee trees with mangosteen and pepper trees. The durian planting distance is 10m apart. I use the land to intercrop mangosteen and pepper. To date, on an area of 4 hectares, I have planted 300 durian trees, 40 mangosteen trees, and 50 pepper trees. Intercropping mangosteen and pepper helps shield light, wind... so durian grows better. Besides the durian trees, which give me an income of about 300 million VND/year, other trees help me increase my income by about 50 million VND/year," Kha shared. Similarly, Cao Dam (Son Binh commune) said that in 2009, with the support and guidance of the district's agriculture sector, his family began converting from coffee to growing durian mixed with grapefruit and jackfruit. Up to now, on an area of 5 hectares with 300 durian trees, 200 grapefruit trees, and 50 jackfruit trees, his family has earned an income of about 700 million VND/year.

Do Nhi Huy - Head of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Khanh Son district said that in 2022, the district built and implemented a project to restructure the agricultural sector towards added value and sustainable development until 2025 and orientation to 2030. From 2018 to 2024, the district has focused on converting 1,500 hectares of ineffective annual trees to fruit trees with high economic value. The district focuses on providing financial support for people to convert ineffective crop areas to fruit trees with higher economic value such as durian, green-skinned grapefruit andmangosteen... At the same time, the district built new models such as planting key fruit trees intercropped with pineapple, corn, guava... for dozens of households; fertilizer support to care for plants for 143 households. Thanks to that, currently, the average production value of agricultural land in the district reaches 100 million VND/ha.

A durian growing area in Khanh Son district

Thinking changes from agricultural production to agricultural economics

Nguyen Quoc Dong - Vice Chairman of Khanh Son District People's Committee said that determining the agricultural economy as the key industry, in recent years, the district has directed localities to focus on building specialized fruit growing areas according to the criteria VietGAP standard. Currently, the district has more than 350 hectares of production according to VietGAP standards; 34 products achieved OCOP 3 stars and 1 product achieved 4 stars; 15 durian growing area codes are officially exported to China with a total area of 430 hectares. Replicating the model of growing fruit trees and purple sugar cane according to VietGAP standards or applying high technology has created changes in farming techniques, producing quality products that meet safety requirements. Food safety is considered a premise that contributes to changing the thinking of managers, as well as producers, about developing agricultural production during the integration period. The agriculture sector has played an important role in changing the rural situation of the district, improving people's lives.

According to Nguyen Quoc Dong, in order to continue to promote the potential and strengths of agricultural production development and attract investment in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to convert agricultural production thinking to agricultural economic thinking to produce high-value, diverse products along the value chain in accordance with market requirements and integrating cultural values.

Chi Trung

Translated by T.T