The job of "hearing the wrong words" earns millions
In the last days of July, durian gardens in Da Huoai 2 commune (Lam Dong province) entered the peak harvest season.
From early morning, the sound of motorbikes, calling each other, and the sound of ripe durian fruits falling onto the tarpaulin echoed throughout the gardens.
In that bustling atmosphere, durian knockers are busy moving from garden to garden.
With just a small piece of wood and experience accumulated over many years, they can recognize which fruit is ripe enough for harvest.
Mr. Nguyen Van Trung (resident of Da Huoai 2 commune) said that he has been attached to the durian knocking profession for more than 5 years.
According to Mr. Trung, the job seems simple but requires workers to have experience, sharp ears and understanding of each durian variety.
If you tap incorrectly, cutting the fruit is still young, the quality will decrease, and the garden owner will suffer losses. Conversely, if it is too ripe, it is also easy to crack and fall off. Therefore, the craftsman must be responsible for each tapping sound," Mr. Trung shared.
Every day, Mr. Trung and the group of workers can check and harvest from several hundred to thousands of durian fruits.
This job is not too heavy but quite dangerous because it is often necessary to climb under tall trees, especially when it rains. In return, in the main season, income reaches about 1.2-1.5 million VND/day," he said.
According to many gardeners, good durian knockers are always sought after because just a small mistake can affect the quality of the entire shipment for sale.
The golden season of seasonal workers
Not only fruit pickers, the durian harvest season in Da Huoai also creates jobs for hundreds of fruit picking, loading and unloading and transportation workers, with incomes ranging from 800,000 VND to 1.5 million VND per day.
Mr. Pham Van Nhu (from Tien Giang) said that he has been in the durian harvesting profession for more than 15 years. After the season in the Mekong Delta, he and many workers continued to the Central Highlands to work seasonally.
From May to about September, wherever there is ripe durian, we come to work. The work requires climbing on tall trees, which is quite dangerous, but the income is about 1-1.2 million VND/day," Mr. Nhu shared.
On the ground, transporters are also no less busy. Refurbished motorbikes continuously carry durians from the garden to the gathering point.
Mr. K'Dinh said that every season he repairs his car to receive hired transportation. Along with many local workers, he established a Zalo group to share work leads.
Whoever has connections, the whole group supports. After deducting gasoline costs, I still make a profit of 800,000 to 1 million VND per day," Mr. K'Dinh said.
According to local people, the nearly two-month harvest season has created jobs for many idle workers, helping them have more income to cover their lives.
Although durian prices this year at times decreased compared to the same period, the harvest atmosphere in specialized farming areas in Da Huoai is still very bustling.
Gardeners focus on harvesting at the right time to ensure fruit quality for domestic consumption and export.
For those who work as fruit pickers, pickers and transporters, the durian season is a busy time but also a "golden season" to increase income.
The knocking sounds determining the ripening of the fruit, the cars following each other leaving the garden have become familiar images, contributing to creating a vibrant rhythm of life in the durian capital of Da Huoai every time the season comes.
