Pioneering in growing durian
Mr. Nguyen Minh Hong Diep (52 years old), residing in village 2, Ha Lam commune, was born in Tan Phu district, Dong Nai province, in a family with a tradition of growing fruit trees.
In the 90s, he moved to Ha Lam commune and realized the potential for developing fruit trees here.
At that time, people's lives mainly depended on growing cashew and coffee, with limited income. Mr. Diep has cherished the dream of getting rich from growing durian, a type of tree that is highly appreciated for its ability to make a profit.
In 1994, he bought 1 hectare of land and renovated it to grow coffee. To increase his income, he also grows vegetables and raises chickens. After that, a company introduced durian varieties to combine DONA, he decided to experiment with growing durian intercropping with coffee.
With a favorable climate, durian grows well and brings in a much higher income than coffee. Recognizing the potential, Mr. Diep decided to expand the durian growing area.
From the profits gained, he continued to buy more land. By 2006, he had owned a large garden and his success had inspired many farmers in the commune, contributing to turning Ha Lam into the durian capital of Lam Dong province.
Currently, his family owns 24 hectares of durian, mainly Dona variety. Currently, Mr. Diep takes care of the garden according to VietGAP standards and invests in automatic irrigation systems as well as drones to spray pesticides.
"From 2020 to now, my family has supplied the market with more than 200 tons of durian each year, bringing in revenue of 13 to 15 billion VND. In 2024, revenue will exceed 16 billion VND" - Mr. Diep said.
Durian billionaire club
In addition to getting rich for himself, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hong Diep also created stable jobs for 10 local workers, with an income of 9 to 12 million VND/person/month.
He is one of the pioneering members of the "Billionaire Farmers" Club of Da Huoai district, which shares experiences and promotes durian growing households.
Mr. Dang Huy Bo, Vice President of the club, said that the club currently has 100 members, each earning 1 billion VND or more from growing durian.
The club's goal is to help all durian growing households produce according to VietGAP standards and be granted growing area codes for export.
According to Mr. Bo, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hong Diep's family is one of the pioneers in investing and developing large-scale durian production. Thanks to that, his family has the highest income in Ha Lam commune today.
Mr. Phan Quang Thuc, Chairman of Ha Lam Commune People's Committee, said that Da Huoai has affirmed its position as the durian capital of Lam Dong province with a planting area of over 10,000 hectares.
In particular, Ha Lam commune is the heart of the durian capital, with more than 2,300 hectares of durian. Currently, there are 1,800 hectares in the business period, with a yield of 12 to 13 tons per hectare/year.
Thanks to durian trees, people in Ha Lam commune have an average income of over 110 million VND/person/year. Of which, more than 65% of households are well off, the rest are well off households.
To help farmers feel secure in production, the Ha Lam commune government hopes that the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to build a separate durian quality inspection center in the locality to serve exports.
