Specialty yellow-fleshed longan growing area in an industrial province

Longan trees have been associated with the land in Xuan Hoa commune for nearly 30 years. To date, the area of yellow-fleshed longan has expanded to about 70 hectares, becoming the main crop providing high economic efficiency in the locality.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, a farmer in Xuan Tam 6 hamlet, Xuan Hoa commune, introduces his longan orchard that is being harvested. Photo: B. Nguyen

Longan farmers in Xuan Hoa commune have shifted to organic production to produce delicious, safe longans. The locality is also implementing many programs to support farmers in building specialized longan cultivation areas in a linked chain, building the brand of the industrial province's specialty longan.

Specialty tree "suited" to new land

Longan trees are most concentrated in Xuan Tam 6 hamlet. This area has a large concentration of people from the Mekong Delta provinces who came here to settle down and live. Initially, some households planted a few longan trees in their gardens for fruit to eat. Seeing that this crop yielded high productivity and quality, sold at good prices, and the soil was suitable, people began to expand the longan cultivation area.

Nguyen Thi Lai, a farmer in Xuan Tam 5 hamlet, is the second generation in her family to be associated with longan trees, recounting: "My parents planted longan from 1998. Currently, there are still longan trees over 20 years old in my parents' garden. Initially, they mainly planted 'da bo' (cowhide) longan variety. About 15 years ago, they switched to the yellow-fleshed longan variety. Growing up, I also followed my parents' profession by investing in a yellow-fleshed longan orchard because this specialty tree brings good profits."

Nguyen Thanh Binh, a farmer in Xuan Tam 6 hamlet, shared: Longan trees start bearing fruit after about 2 years of planting; after about 4-5 years, they yield high productivity. This yellow-fleshed longan variety, when planted in the Mekong Delta provinces, farmers often have to build high mounds (also known as "liep") for the longan roots and dig ditches below for drainage. In Xuan Hoa, farmers still build mounds for longan roots, but the height is usually lower than in the low-lying areas of the Mekong Delta. This is an important technique for longan trees to grow well, helping them avoid waterlogging and root rot during the rainy season.

According to experienced longan farmers in Xuan Hoa commune, the yellow-fleshed longan grown in this area has good quality with a thick skin, thicker, crispy, and dry flesh with a rich sweet taste. When grown in this area, the longan tree yields high productivity because it sheds less fruit. Therefore, longan from this area often sells at a higher price than the general market due to its good quality and thick skin, which helps keep it fresh and preserved longer.

Forming a specialized cultivation area

According to longan farmers in Xuan Hoa commune, this area used to grow melaleuca trees and other miscellaneous crops, and the lower areas cultivated rice, so the economic efficiency was often not high. Therefore, when some longan orchards in the locality had good harvests and prices, farmers boldly switched to this specialty fruit tree with high economic efficiency.

At first, longan cultivation was fragmented and small-scale. As the cultivation area expanded, farmers invested in intensive farming and applied scientific and technical advances to production. In particular, farmers invested in automated irrigation and fertilization systems. Especially, many households use unmanned aerial vehicles for spraying pesticides to control pests and diseases.

The harvest season for yellow-fleshed longan in Xuan Hoa commune usually concentrates in July and August of the lunar calendar every year. Many gardeners often time the trees to flower, bear fruit, and be harvested around the full moon of July in the lunar calendar. This is when the market demand for fruit offerings increases; on the other hand, at this time, many summer fruits are out of season, so there is no worry about oversupply.

Longan farmers in Xuan Hoa commune often leave grass growing in their orchards during the fruiting season to create a cooler microclimate, reducing the sun's glare from the ground when longan fruits are forming, thereby limiting fruit rot and drop. This layer of grass decomposes into an organic layer, replenishing nutrients for the soil. In recent years, local longan farmers have been transitioning to organic production to produce delicious, safe longan fruits for the market.

According to Vice Chairman of Xuan Hoa Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Xung, thanks to suitable soil and experienced local longan farmers, this crop yields high productivity and good quality. Xuan Hoa longan is favored by the market. However, what farmers are most concerned about is still a stable output for their products. Therefore, the locality has established the Dong Tien Fruit Cooperative, linking with farmers to form a production chain; supporting farmers in building and promoting the brand for Xuan Hoa longan so that this specialty crop can develop sustainably.

Binh Nguyen