Growing durian, a specialty tree that produces a lot of delicious fruit, farmers here in Ninh Thuan hit it big and changed their lives.

If durian growers cut and sell the graded durian, the price of grade 1 Monthong durian is up to 100,000 VND/kg.

Billion-dollar income from Phuoc Binh durian

These days, durian farmers in the mountainous commune of Phuoc Binh, Bac Ai district (Ninh Thuan) are entering the peak harvest season. Traders from all over come to buy durian, creating a bustling buying and selling scene.

While busily loading durian onto trucks, farmer Nguyen Van Quang in Bac Ray 2 village, Phuoc Binh commune, said that this year his family has more than 15 hectares of durian ready for harvest. Since the end of July, he has harvested more than 40 tons of durian to sell to traders.

According to Mr. Quang, depending on the quality, durian is purchased by traders at 45,000 - 55,000 VND/kg of Ri6 durian and 70,000 - 80,000 VND/kg of Monthong durian. With the current selling price, on average, each hectare of durian, a family can earn around 1 billion VND.

"Compared to previous years, this year the price of Monthong durian (Thai durian) is 10,000 - 20,000 VND/kg higher.

If people cut and classify durian to sell, the price of grade 1 Monthong durian will be more than 100,000 VND/kg...", Mr. Quang said.

Not far away, farmer Trinh Quoc Tuan in Bac Ray 1 village is happily taking care of durian trees waiting to cut and sell the second batch.

According to Mr. Tuan, during the first durian sale of the season, his family earned nearly 1 billion VND thanks to 12 tons of Monthong durian. Currently, the entire garden of nearly 3 hectares has about 3-5 tons that have been ordered by traders, waiting for harvest day.

"Thanks to careful care, the trees grow strongly. Although they have only been planted for 4 years, each tree produces an average of nearly 60kg of fruit. The fruit is large and even, so traders buy it at a uniform price of 80,000 VND/kg. After deducting all expenses, the family's first fruit crop (the first fruit) earns a profit of several hundred million VND/ha...", said Mr. Tuan.

According to Mr. Tuan, thanks to suitable soil and climate conditions, Phuoc Binh durian is not inferior in quality to other places. In particular, Monthong durian grown in Phuoc Binh has yellow flesh and a sweet taste, so it is very popular with traders.

Raglai farmers earn "huge" income from durian

Also in Phuoc Binh commune, farmer Pi Nang Phien is one of the Raglai people enjoying the sweet fruits of durian.

According to Mr. Phien, this year is the first time his family has harvested durian after more than 5 years of planting. Currently, 2 out of 4 hectares of durian of his family have harvested fruit.

Although it was just the first harvest (the first fruit), there were still more than 3 tons of fruit, sold at 70,000 VND/kg, bringing in a revenue of more than 150 million VND, much higher than many traditional crops such as corn, beans...

"Durian requires a high investment and is more difficult to care for than other plants, but in return the economic efficiency is very high. In 40 years of farming, this is the first time we have sold agricultural products for such a large amount of money, so my family is very excited...", said Mr. Pi Nang Phien.

Ms. Katơ Thị Gái, Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Phước Bình Commune (Bắc Ái District) said that the commune currently has more than 100 hectares of durian trees and is gradually increasing. This is also a key crop in the locality.

Compared to other plants, durian has high economic efficiency, so people gradually switch from corn and bean to durian in the form of intercropping. When the durian tree is big, they stop planting corn and beans. Thanks to that, people still have income to use short-term to support long-term investment in durian trees.

"To improve the quality of durian, in the coming time, the locality will propose to the relevant sectors to provide technical guidance and propaganda to the people, especially the Raglai ethnic group, in planting and caring for durian trees, gradually helping farmers develop the economy to sustainably reduce poverty...", Ms. Gai informed.