Realizing that growing coconuts to sell fruit brings low profits and unstable prices, after researching and receiving support from the company, Mr. Sang Sa Ra (Tieu Can district, Tra Vinh province) decided to switch to growing coconuts to collect honey.
Mr. Sa Ra said: "Compared to growing fruit, harvesting honey is 5-6 times more expensive. My 3,000m2 garden produces about 40 liters of honey per day, with an average income of 8-12 million VND/month."
According to this farmer, growing coconuts to collect honey requires the skill of massaging the coconut flowers, stimulating the sap vessels to secrete honey. This is one of the important factors that determine the quality of the honey collected.
"After collecting honey, I sell it back to the company so they can filter it roughly, filter it finely, and concentrate it to produce drinking water. Thanks to that, I have been able to escape the precarious situation over the past few years, and my life is better than before," said Mr. Sa Ra.
Similarly, for the past 6 years, Mr. Thach Sa Ray (Tieu Can district, Tra Vinh province) has been climbing coconut trees every day to collect honey. Compared to carrying hundreds of kilograms of construction materials, climbing coconut trees helps him relax.
"Every day I climb about 70 coconut trees. The coconut trees are short, so I have to use a ladder to climb them, so it's quite easy. Before, I had to learn how to collect honey for 1-1.5 months, but now I have experience, so my income is enough to support my family," said Mr. Sa Ray.
According to this old farmer's experience, coconut trees will flower after 3-5 years of planting. A coconut tree can produce nectar continuously for 9 months, then rest for 3 months to recover. Compared to harvesting fruit, it will be faster and bring higher economic benefits.
Some pictures of the coconut nectar extraction process:
