NGHE AN – Purchased dozens of hectares of wasteland to grow oranges in Doai Commune, many people said that Mr. Trinh Xuan Giao was “hateful”, and the authorities suspected that he would be used as a gathering point for prohibited goods.
After 6 years of doing business in Eastern Europe, and accumulating a good amount of capital, Mr. Giao, now 34 years old, and his wife returned to their hometown of Bao Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district in early 2001. Learning that Nghe An had delicious Xa Doai orange varieties, Smooth skin, gentle aroma, sweet taste, but without developing a brand, he decided to buy 20 hectares of wasteland in Dong Thanh commune to renovate and grow oranges, planning to bring his homeland’s specialties to “new heights”.
“The gardeners didn’t understand what I was planning to do by buying a large area of land. They said I was probably crazy, would fail and resell the land at a cheap price. The authorities were suspicious, because they saw strangers setting up pig farms.” In the forest, I was afraid it would become a gathering point for prohibited goods, so I sent the police to monitor every movement for 2 years,” Mr. Giao said.
Previously, people planted eucalyptus and acacia on wasteland, so they lost nutrients. Mr. Giao hired people to use machinery to regenerate the soil for 5 years. He went to Quy Hop to find a farmer with 30 years of experience growing oranges and invited him to work as a technician, paying a salary equal to 1/4 of the farm’s income. After 4 years, tens of thousands of orange trees gave their first batch of fruit, but the taste was not good because the soil was still poor. Since 2013, the fruit has begun to be sweet and fragrant, with one hectare generating a revenue of one billion VND per year.
Mr. Giao always applies new methods to grow oranges. Most people make watering systems from the bottom up, but he watered them from the top down, with the purpose of washing both leaves and fruits, helping them to be exposed to sunlight and photosynthesize better. The orange trees on the farm are mainly fertilized with cow manure and organic potash made from sugarcane ashes, without the use of pesticides.
When Xa Doai oranges gained the trust of domestic stores, Mr. Giao came up with the idea of bringing oranges abroad. He researched and directed the farm to develop according to the model of the German Agricultural Association and was recognized by this organization as meeting GlobalGAP standards in 2019. In the same year, the Japanese group AEON sent people to evaluate the orange garden in the first half of the year. month, then asked for cooperation, one week buying 4 tons of oranges and bringing them to retail supermarket chains located in many countries.
“The Japanese market is extremely strict. When AEON bought me, I happily hugged the workers and said that Xa Doai has gone to the world,” Mr. Giao said. However, he analyzed that everything has a cycle of success. The current 20 hectares of orange trees will get old and need to expand the area. In 2016, he went to the mountainous district of Con Cuong to ask the government about renting 54 hectares of unused land in Mon Son commune.
The land is a valley nestled between limestone mountains, with no roads. From the commune center, it takes 2 hours to climb passes, wade streams, and combine vehicles to get there. “After seeing the land, I fell in love with it. If I didn’t do it, I would feel like it would be a waste. But the investment is terrible, the mountains and hills are endless, not to mention the money, and I don’t know when the renovation will be done,” Mr. Giao said.
Although he was a little hesitant, Mr. Giao was still determined to do it. On the groundbreaking day in mid-2016, he shook hands with local leaders, saying he would make “stone and soil bloom”. Most delegates believe in Mr. Giao’s determination, but a few people are still skeptical because “never seen anyone take such a risk.”
To improve 54 hectares of land, Mr. Giao bought excavators, bulldozers, plows, hired workers to ram the mountains into pools and streams, and poured dirt to create small surrounding roads. Dozens of surrounding hills that were 18 meters high were all lowered to 12 meters so that machines and workers could easily farm later. Initially, Mr. Giao intended to bring electricity to the farm, but calculated that it would cost 5.3 billion VND so he gave up and hired someone to do solar power.
“This land is pristine, no one has ever planted trees so the color is very good. Surrounded by rocky mountains, the temperature is always 3-4 degrees Celsius lower than outside, growing Xa Doai oranges is definitely delicious. I Tell yourself to do it, don’t calculate money too carefully, if you think too much you will definitely hesitate,” Mr. Giao shared.
The road into the valley is narrow, teetering on the edge of a 3-5 m deep abyss, and only one rain will make it muddy. Many times when he drove a motorbike or car to survey, Mr. Giao and his workers’ car fell into the abyss, causing scratches and pain for several days. The vehicle was severely damaged and had to be repaired at a cost of tens of millions of dong.
In mid-2019, when the farm was completed, Mr. Giao planted 25,000 Xa Doai orange trees, still applying the care process according to GlobalGAP standards. When he told his wife about his plan to reclaim 54 hectares of land, he did not dare to talk about the terrain, saying “it’s just delicious” so his wife believed it. When he had invested more than 40 billion VND, he took his wife up. After going through the winding roads into the valley, the wife exclaimed: “Oh my god, it’s too late to protest now.” The couple looked at each other and smiled.
After four years, oranges at Con Cuong farm began to produce their first batch of fruit, and the quality gradually stabilized. Talking to the leader of a Vietnamese airline on a flight in early 2023, Mr. Giao told about the origin of Xa Doai oranges and invited him to the farm to play and enjoy the specialties.
“Visiting Con Cuong, he was fascinated by the flavor of oranges. I raised the issue of bringing oranges grown at the farm to airplane meals,” Mr. Giao said. After more than 10 days of appraisal, the airline agreed to purchase Mr. Giao’s oranges. In November 2023, the contract takes effect, every day the truck carries 2 tons of oranges to Noi Bai airport.
Mr. Giao’s entire family burst into tears after the airline agreed to cooperate. Many friends on the plane saw the introduction written on the meal about Thien Son oranges – Xa Doai and called to share their pride because Vietnamese agricultural products were enjoyed and praised by many international guests.
Currently, the farm in Con Cuong district, in addition to importing for airlines, sells 2 tons a day to domestic partners, priced at 40,000 VND/kg. 20 hectares of oranges in Yen Thanh district in 2022 were cut down to let the land rest, and next year a new crop will be planted. This farm previously had a revenue of 18 billion VND a year, minus investment costs and employee salaries, a profit of about 15 billion VND.
Even though he has a good income, Mr. Giao does not think he is successful, always saying “everyone else advances, if you don’t advance you will fall behind”. In the near future, he plans to invest in a factory to produce orange powder and organic dishwashing liquid from orange peels…
He always keeps in mind “not losing faith” when doing anything. This quote is also the preface in his autobiography “The Battle for a Living” written by Literary Publishing House in December 2022. The book tells about the difficulties of working as a hired laborer to make money, and nearly dying in the snow many times during the years of traveling in foreign lands…
“The journey of farming and bringing Xa Doai oranges to the world is as risky and bumpy as my previous life,” Mr. Giao said.
Chairman of Nghe An Provincial Farmers’ Association Nguyen Quang Tung assessed Mr. Trinh Xuan Giao as bold, visionary, and a pioneer in high-tech agriculture. “Up to now, specifically for oranges, Mr. Giao’s farm is the only unit in the province recognized to meet global standards – GlobalGAP. The care process is very strict and methodical, contributing to raising the brand of Xa oranges. Doai,” Mr. Tung said.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)