With an area of 1.03 hectares planted with Idor longan, Mr. Thang harvests over 10 tons of longan per year, earning approximately 300 million VND annually. He has achieved this by properly shifting his crop structure and applying science to production, thus making his Idor longan model highly economically effective.
In 2016, Mr. Thang visited other effective farming models and learned that the Idor longan variety has the advantages of disease resistance, high yield, and stable prices. He decided to cut down 1.03 hectares of over 10-year-old rambutan fruit trees and purchased 250 Idor longan seedlings at 30,000 VND each to trial. Mr. Thang shared: "Initially, the longan trees grew slowly partly due to improper fertilizer application and pesticide use according to process. For young Idor longan shoots, insecticide must be sprayed to limit pest and mite attacks. Fertilizer also needs regular application for the trees to grow healthily and resist disease." With this method, Mr. Thang's longan orchard developed lushly. In 2018, it yielded over 3 tons of longans sold in the market at over 30,000 VND per kg.
Now, Mr. Thang's longan orchard has been over 7 years old, lush and green, bearing fruit steadily. He said: "There is no worry about sales for Idor longan produce. Because Idor longan has the advantages of small seeds, thin skin, thick flesh and crispness, less water content, and moderate sweetness, they are favored by the market. On average, 1kg of longans can be sold to traders for 20,000-30,000 VND." To keep the longan trees healthy, after harvest, Mr. Thang prunes old branches to shape the canopy.
In addition to growing Idor longans, since 2018 Mr. Thang has further developed a farming and tourism model combination. Sau Canh Garden is one of the attractive tourist destinations when visiting Con Son. To attract more visitors to the orchard for sightseeing and experiences, Mr. Thang divided his 1.03 hectares of longans into 4 batches for fruit handling. On average, Mr. Thang handles the fruit of about 0.26 hectares of longans per batch. When the longans reach harvest time, he organizes ticket sales for visitors to tour and eat longans in the orchard for a fee of 30,000 VND per person.
Mr. Thang said: "In recent years, the number of tourists visiting the longan orchard has been quite large. There are 400-500 visitors per month during summer holidays or festive periods. Here, tourists can tour and pick fruit themselves to enjoy. Those wanting to buy fruit as gifts can also purchase at orchard prices. Therefore, my family no longer has to worry about product sales outlets." In addition to organizing orchard tours, Mr. Thang also provides food services for tourists. At Sau Canh Garden, Mr. Thang's menu mainly features local specialties such as chicken porridge in the orchard, mam hotpot, and sour fish soup, ... at affordable prices attracting many tourists to dine.
"In the future, I will add more small houses in the longan orchard to accommodate tourists visiting and staying. I will also take advantage of the drainage ditches to raise black apple snails, fishes, and frogs... to serve rustic dishes for tourists to experience eating and dining at Sau Canh Garden," Mr. Thang said.
