Getting rich from farming
In Dai Hai commune, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh once only had 0.5ha of rice land, life was difficult all year round. Realizing that rice was difficult to create a breakthrough in income, in 1995 he decided to switch to growing durian. In the early years, lacking experience, the garden developed unstablely, and the output was unstable. He persistently learned and recorded the care process, applying the principle "First water, second fertilizer, third diligence, four seeds".
Currently, he owns 2ha of garden with 400 durian trees, including 50 trees over 30 years old. From 2023, the entire area has been converted to organic production. Profit increased from 1.6 billion VND in 2022 to 1.9 billion VND in 2024.
Mr. Hoang Anh said: "If we don't change our thinking, it will be difficult to escape poverty. Organic farming is not only to sell at a higher price but also to keep the land and brand for a long time.
In Nhon My commune, Mr. Tran Anh Nhan has built a brand of four-season purple star apple. In 2010, he discovered a tree in the garden that bears fruit all year round, different from the usual variety that only bears 1 crop/year. After many years of monitoring, testing and grafting new trees, in 2013 he completed the propagation process.
Four-season purple star apples have large fruits, chewy flesh, mild sweetness, thin skin, low sap, can withstand salinity up to 3‰ and flower and bear fruit all year round. The variety has been registered for protection, recognized as a leading orchard and certified OCOP 4 stars.
Currently, Mr. Nhan has 6ha with about 1,000 trees bearing stable fruit, with an output of about 80 tons per year. The selling price ranges from 30,000–100,000 VND/kg, bringing a profit of about 3.5 billion VND/year. In addition to commercial fruits, he also supplies about 100,000 seedlings to the market.
In 2020, he was elected Director of My Phuoc High-Tech Agriculture and Community Tourism Cooperative with 21 members.
Individual production is only strong for each garden. When linked together, we can build raw material areas, sign stable contracts and increase value for the whole area," Mr. Nhan shared.
Meanwhile, the Cu Lao Dung region is frequently affected by saltwater intrusion, Mr. Tran Van Phuc has built a model of Son Tien pink plum in an organic direction combined with digital management on an area of about 50ha. The plum variety he bred can withstand salinity of 2–3‰ in the soil, even 10‰ when submerged for short days. Thanks to the natural potassium in the salty soil, the fruit reaches a sugar content of about 15%, creating a characteristic sweetness and crispness.
The product is produced according to VietGAP standards, organic orientation, selling price 150,000–230,000 VND/kg, average profit of about 2 billion VND/ha/year. Right from the time the fruit matures, each fruit is attached with a code and QR code for tracing origin. 30 days before harvest, he can forecast output to proactively sign consumption contracts.
Mastering output is how to master the market. Customer confidence starts from transparency," Mr. Phuc said.
Keeping rural workers
The common point of the above farmers is that they have been awarded the title of good farmers in production and business at the local, city and central levels for many consecutive years. Not only enriching their families, the models also contribute to creating local jobs for rural workers.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh creates seasonal jobs for dozens of workers each year. The cooperative run by Mr. Tran Anh Nhan has formed a concentrated production area, helping many households stabilize output. Mr. Tran Van Phuc's facility alone provides regular jobs for 50-80 local workers, with an income of 8-12 million VND/month and fully participates in insurance regimes.
When creating value on their own land, people will have stable jobs, without having to leave their hometowns to work far away," Mr. Phuc affirmed.
According to the Can Tho City Farmers' Association, in the past 2 years, each year there have been more than 189,000 households achieving the title of good production and business at all levels. The city has established 33 "Exemplary Billionaire Farmers" clubs and 78 "Good Production and Business Farmers" clubs, becoming a place to share experiences, replicate effective economic models, contributing to promoting sustainable agricultural development and solving local employment.
