Harvesting longan fruit in the rain

These days, the early-fruiting longan orchards in Thoi Hung commune (Co Do district, Can Tho city) are entering the harvest season. Despite the rainy weather, the orchard owners and workers are still working hard to deliver the goods to the export-linked company on time.

In a raincoat with nimble hands, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Trang (Thoi Hung commune, Co Do district, Can Tho city) said that regardless of rain or shine, workers must work hard to cut enough quantity to deliver to the company. Especially, because it is an export product, the harvest must be very careful, cutting each fruit one by one.

“We have to choose beautiful, round, large enough fruits that meet the standards before cutting. When cutting, the stems should not be too long or too close to the fruit. Otherwise, during transportation, the stems of the longan fruit will hit each other, causing the shipment to be damaged and unable to be exported,” said Ms. Trang.

While diligently selecting each qualified longan fruit for harvest, Mrs. Phan Thi Be Nam (Thoi Hung commune, Co Do district, Can Tho city) seemed to have forgotten the cold of the rain. Mrs. Nam shared that the harvest time of longan fruit usually falls during the rainy season, so most of the workers are used to it.

“When it’s time to harvest, we have to cut it, rain or shine. Harvesting in the rain is hard, but we workers try our best because we’re used to it and because we want to earn money to support our families. Even though it’s raining, the harvest is not done carelessly. Each longan is carefully selected, of good quality, and cut one by one into a basket,” Ms. Nam shared.

Stable employment all year round

Harvesting longan from 6am to 2pm, Trang is paid 200,000 VND. However, on days when a large quantity needs to be harvested and she has to work overtime until 4pm or 5pm, Trang will be paid an additional 30,000 VND/hour by the garden owner.

“When it’s harvest season, I go and cut if anyone calls me. On days when I cut a lot, I can earn 300,000 VND. On normal days, my average income is 200,000 VND/day, from 6am to 2pm from harvesting longan, weeding the garden, tying longan branches, etc. This job is more suitable for me than working in a company because the hours are flexible, and I get paid every day I work. If I work hard, I can barely cover my family’s expenses,” Trang said.

Also having a stable job all year round from the longan garden, Mrs. Nam shared: “I am old, it is very difficult to apply for a job in a company. But in this longan garden, I have a job every day, a stable income, an average of 200,000 VND/day from 6am to 2pm. Especially during the longan harvest time, this amount can be higher due to overtime to harvest enough quantity to deliver. Therefore, as long as I am healthy, I will still stick with this job to earn money to take care of my family.”

Mr. Tran Phuoc Son - Head of the Trang Ti Garden Fruit Tree Cooperative (Thoi Hung Commune, Co Do District, Can Tho City) - said that growing longan requires year-round care. Garden owners must hire workers to weed, care for roots, fertilize, trim unnecessary branches, etc., of which the most difficult is harvesting. This creates jobs for many local workers.

“In the near future, from the perspective of the Cooperative Group, we will discuss the establishment of a team of workers specializing in longan picking. Accordingly, if working in rainy and windy conditions, garden owners will have a support policy to help workers regain their labor. This will both solve employment problems and motivate workers to continue to work with garden owners,” Mr. Son informed.