Prospects of veteran melon model

Officials, members and veterans of Hon Dat commune visit Mr. Toan's melon growing model. Photo: HUYNH NGON

In 1979, when he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown, Mr. Toan's family life faced many difficulties. However, with the will and determination of Uncle Ho's soldier, he constantly researched, studied, experimented and applied new models to production to improve his family's economy .

In 2021, Mr. Toan discussed with his family and invested more than 100 million VND to build a greenhouse with an area of ^500m2 , planting nearly 1,700 melon vines, rotating 4-5 crops each year. Realizing that the model has a lot of potential, by 2024, Mr. Toan decided to expand the greenhouse to 1,200m2, planting 3,500 melon vines.

Mr. Toan shared: “When I returned to my hometown, my parents gave me 10 hectares of rice fields to cultivate, but the results were not high. I always researched and learned new, highly effective agricultural development models to increase my family's income. When I learned about the model of growing melons in greenhouses, I researched and implemented it. The first two melon crops failed, the yield was not high, the quality was not up to standard, but I did not give up and continued to learn to improve the model. Up to now, the melon garden has produced good fruit.”

Growing melons in a greenhouse system helps to block rain and sunlight, can be grown off-season, prevents insects from entering, actively provides nutrition and does not use pesticides. The greenhouse system is equipped with temperature measuring devices, mist sprayers, and drip irrigation, helping to reduce production costs.

In particular, the fertilizers are dissolved in water to form a nutrient-rich solution and watered automatically, helping the vines grow evenly, saving labor and time. To achieve high yield, each vine initially flowers and bears a lot of fruit, but Mr. Toan is selective, keeping only one large, beautiful fruit per vine.

Currently, the melons in the garden are purchased by traders at a price of 22,000 - 23,000 VND/kg. On average, each crop, Mr. Toan's family harvests about 7 tons of melons, with a profit of about 60 million VND/crop. The model has been visited and learned by many members and veterans in the commune. Up to now, in Hon Dat commune, there are 6 members and veterans implementing this model, with a total area of about ^10,000m2 , initially bringing high economic efficiency. Mr. Bui Van Ve - a veteran of Dau Doi hamlet shared: "Seeing that Mr. Toan's melon growing model brings economic efficiency, I also learned and was enthusiastically guided by him. I implemented the model at home and brought a stable source of income for my family."

When planting, seeds are sown in a coconut fiber substrate combined with treated ash, helping the plant avoid contact with harmful microorganisms in the soil. After 35 - 40 days, the melons will be cut and the leaves will be trimmed to help the fruit absorb maximum nutrients and limit pests. To implement this model, growers must invest a relatively large initial cost to build a greenhouse, an automatic misting irrigation system, and closed-loop production... However, because each year it is possible to rotate 4 - 5 crops, the time to recover the investment capital is quite fast.

Mr. Danh Xa Quanh - Chairman of the Veterans Association of Hon Dat commune said: "Mr. Toan always promotes the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers. Despite his old age, he always keeps learning, works enthusiastically, applies technology to production, contributing to increasing income. At the same time, he also encourages and motivates cadres and veteran members to participate in the implementation. In the coming time, the Veterans Association of the commune will mobilize members and veterans to participate in the model, moving towards establishing a cooperative group to grow melons, contributing to increasing income."

Mr. Toan's model of growing melons in greenhouses, applying drip irrigation technology, is a new development direction, aiming to create quality, clean products, contributing to increasing farmers' income on the same area of cultivated land.

HUYNH NGON

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/trien-vong-mo-hinh-dua-luoi-cua-cuu-chien-binh-a462433.html