With high economic value, in recent years, plum has been a crop that many farmers in Binh Tan district have chosen to invest in cultivating under the model of using net covering. The plum varieties that farmers mainly grow are An Phuoc and stone peach with most of the area concentrated in Tan An Thanh commune.

According to local authorities, compared to traditional farming, using net covers when growing plums is more effective - it helps save costs, reduces pests, and ensures high quality and productivity of agricultural products.

Many farmers say that An Phuoc plum trees have higher productivity and economic value, so they should be planted on a large area. If properly cared for, this plum variety will bear fruit in just under 2 years and can be harvested at least 2 crops per year.

In addition, it is also possible to process plums to produce fruit in the off-season to sell at a high price. Plum growing techniques are quite simple and when the tree is attacked by pests, special drugs can be used to prevent and control them.

The An Phuoc plum variety takes more than 2 months from flowering to harvest. If you want the plums to produce quality fruit, you must pay attention to selecting young fruit or removing the flowers if you see that the tree is not strong enough to bear fruit.

Happily chatting with us while harvesting plums, Ms. Vo Thi Hai (living in An Thoi hamlet, Tan An Thanh commune) said that her family had previously switched from ineffective rice farming to durian farming, with a high investment cost but the results were not as expected.

Having the opportunity to learn about the An Phuoc plum variety, Ms. Hai realized that this is a crop with high economic value and stable market output. After learning the technique of cultivating An Phuoc plums in a net, the family decided to buy seedlings to plant on their land.

After nearly 2 years, the An Phuoc plum tree blossomed and bore fruit and began to yield increasing profits in the following years. Seeing the economic efficiency, Ms. Hai rented more land to expand the An Phuoc plum growing area.

According to Ms. Hai, the advantage of using nets to cover plum gardens is to reduce the amount of pesticides when spraying at a greater distance, ensuring pesticide residue safety, and minimizing pests, especially fruit flies.

In addition to using net covers, Ms. Hai also uses nylon bags to cover the fruit, creating an additional layer of protection against pests. When harvested, the fruit has a more beautiful appearance and better quality.

“I currently have 15 hectares of An Phuoc plums. This type of plum is grown in a mesh screen, which is both easy to care for and saves costs. The plums have a stable output with a selling price ranging from 20,000-30,000 VND/kg, sometimes reaching 40,000-45,000 VND/kg at peak times.

Thanks to applying this model, my family saved a lot of production costs and the quality of agricultural products was guaranteed, so the income increased many times compared to growing other crops before" - Ms. Hai shared.

According to many farmers, plum prices have been relatively stable recently, and farmers with many years of experience in growing plums have achieved high yields. Each year, An Phuoc plums are grown 2-3 times, and with good care, yields can reach 5-6 tons/acre.
After deducting expenses, farmers still make a profit of about 40-50 million VND/acre/year. In addition, An Phuoc plum products of An Thoi Agricultural Cooperative have also achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Mr. Le Ngoc Bich - Chairman of the Board of Directors of An Thoi Agricultural Cooperative (Tan An Thanh Commune) said: The cooperative specializes in producing and purchasing agricultural products. Established in 2018, up to now, An Thoi Agricultural Cooperative has 30 members, growing 30 hectares of various fruit trees; of which, An Phuoc plum and pink peach plum account for 15 hectares.

The cooperative has a stable consumption market, so farmers are more secure in production. In the near future, the cooperative plans to expand the An Phuoc plum growing area and is preparing to upgrade to 4-star OCOP.

According to the People's Committee of Tan An Thanh commune, the model of growing plums in nets also has another advantage: it helps save irrigation water, can cope well with drought weather, and helps the garden retain moisture well.

In addition, it also solves the employment needs of local idle workers with jobs such as: fruit bagging, net bagging, fruit selection, harvesting... with an average income of about 200,000 VND/person/day.

While harvesting plums, Ms. Pham Thi Thu Suong (Tan Minh Hamlet, Tan Luoc Commune, Binh Tan District) said: "Each plum crop has a group to harvest, the cost is 200,000 VND/day/person. Picking plums also requires experience, choosing just-ripe fruit to ensure the sweetness of the fruit and the right weight."

Mr. Quach Thanh Phuc - agricultural officer of Tan An Thanh commune said that the An Phuoc plum growing model is one of the stable development models, bringing high economic efficiency.

The whole commune has over 180 hectares of plum plantations with about 150 households, mainly growing An Phuoc plums. An Phuoc plums are also quite easy to care for, mainly covering with nets and fruit, the remaining costs are not much. Thanks to the plum growing model bringing high economic efficiency, the plum growing area also increases by 5-10 hectares/year.

To improve production efficiency, the commune also coordinates training and guidance on plum growing techniques for farmers. In the coming time, the locality will continue to propose to superiors and specialized agencies to create favorable conditions for capital support as well as organize technical training to replicate fruit garden models with high economic efficiency, suitable for the purpose of transforming the agricultural structure in the locality.

In addition, it will guide cooperatives and farming households to focus on production to improve product quality and value, contributing to increasing income and improving farmers' lives.

Article and photos: PHI LONG

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202503/thu-nhap-kha-tu-mo-hinh-trong-man-trong-mang-luoi-0136986/