Persimmon fruit farming by the local Mong ethnic people is adding a dash of colour to the mountain of Phu Pan located in the central province of Nghe An this spring.
The 100-square metre garden belongs to Ho Song Do, nicknamed the “Persimmon King”, in the highlands village of Tien Tieu in Ky Son District’s Nam Can Commune located along the Laos border.
Do shared, “I’ve planted these trees for three years since a local pilot project to plant Da Lat persimmon in the district began. The trees grow very well in cold weather. They bear between 300 and 400 fruits each. I earn from VND4-VND5 million (USD190-240) in the run up to the Tet holiday. My family’s living standards have improved.”
One special feature is that when fruits are ready for the harvest, the trees often shed leaves, spotting the foggy mountain with bright red, he noted.
Do often harvests between 200 and 300 kilos of persimmon per year and currently earns from VND15,000-20,000 (USD0.71-0.95) per kilo.
Chairman of Nam Can Communal People’s Committee Ho Chong Nhia said that several families in the commune had planted over 1,500 persimmon trees.
According to Le Cong Tam, Head of Ky Son District’s Office of Agriculture, five communes in the district, including Nam Can, Huoi Tu, Na Ngoi, Tay Son and Muong Long, are participating in the pilot project. Nam Can and Muong Long Communes grow over 1.5 hectares of the fruit.
Located 1,300 metres above sea level, Nam Can’s is blessed with permanently cool weather, providing ideal conditions for Da Lat persimmon to flourish.
Photos taken at Phu Pan Peak:
Persimmons shed leaves when bearing fruits
Da Lat persimmon on the slopes of Phu Pan
A tree laden with fruits
Do showing off his persimmon tree
Giant persimmons
Each persimmon tree bears from 300-400 fruits
