Pú Nhung is a highland commune with a large area, and a climate and soil that are particularly suitable for growing industrial crops and fruit trees. Taking advantage of these available strengths to develop the economy, local people are restructuring their agriculture, shifting from inefficient corn and cassava to high-value fruit trees.

Previously, residents grew fruit trees mainly to serve their family’s needs, and large-scale, commodity-oriented cultivation for economic development was limited. With the attention and companionship of the local party committee and authorities in linking and finding consumer outlets for agricultural products, the fruit tree area is expanding day by day.

In Pú Nhung, the key crops are macadamia, coffee, pineapple, and mango. Macadamia has reached over 1,000ha, coffee 705ha, pineapple 90ha, and mango and other fruit trees 244ha. These crops are suited to the local climate and soil and bring clear economic efficiency.

Nguyễn Văn Bách, Chairman of the Pú Nhung commune People’s Committee, said: To ensure agricultural crops develop effectively and sustainably, the commune’s party committee and government have coordinated closely with businesses and companies like Đồng Giao Export Foodstuff Joint Stock Company (DOVECO) to guarantee consumption, purchase, and processing of agricultural products. This ensures market access and avoids the “good harvest, low price; good price, bad harvest” situation for farmers. This linkage creates a sustainable value chain from production - processing - consumption, minimizing risks, and creating a solid foundation for people to develop production. This helps expand concentrated production zones, apply science and technology, and improve product quality to meet the requirements of businesses and the market.

According to Bách, right after the commune merger and organizational stabilization, the Pú Nhung commune Party Resolution (Term 1) identified the promotion of agricultural restructuring, focusing on shifting inefficient crops to the development of agricultural and long-term industrial crops. The goal is to have over 2,000ha of coffee and 1,700ha of macadamia by the end of the term, gradually building brands and forming concentrated, circular, and clean production models, aiming for the goal of building safe, friendly new-style rural areas, a breakthrough set of targets that the local party committee and authorities are determined to implement.

Rạng Đông village (Pú Nhung commune) has 98 households. Most of the residents’ upland fields for cassava and corn have been gradually replaced by long-term industrial and fruit trees.

Bùi Hữu Văn, Chief of Rạng Đông village, shared: Previously, people planted little, fearing no guaranteed market and difficulty in selling. Now, they just need to plant, and after harvesting, DOVECO buys it at the source. Just for mango and pomelo, the village has added 7ha in the last two years. Prices are stable, and they don’t worry about consumption, so people are very assured. My family also converted 1ha of corn to mango, which is starting to be harvested this year. The economic efficiency of mango is 2-3 times higher than corn because it doesn’t cost seeds, requires less care, and brings in over VND 30 million/ha per crop.

Lường Thị Nhân of Nậm Mu village shared: My family mainly grows mango and pomelo, which are now starting to be harvested. My family has nearly 1,000 trees of these two fruits, about 1.5ha. This season, the price of mango is VND 10,000 - 15,000/kg, and pomelo is VND 20,000 - 30,000/fruit, depending on quality. Before costs, I earned over VND 50 million this crop. After the harvest, on the old cornfield, my family continues to plant an additional 0.5ha of macadamia and coffee to develop our economy.

With the involvement and joint effort of the local party committee and authorities, along with the diligence and hard work of the people, the development and expansion of the fruit tree area in Pú Nhung are being increasingly promoted. This contributes to crop restructuring, environmental protection, livelihood diversification, and stable, sustainable socio-economic development in the highlands.