The latest drought and salinization time has severely damaged the durian orchard of more than 8,000m2 of Le Van Manh from Hung Khanh Trung B Commune in Cho Lach District of Ben Tre Province. Around 15 percent of all durian trees witnessed leaf wiling and branch drying due to water shortage. To minimize further damage, he has hired laborers to excavate and level the root of the trees, to spread lime to raise the soil's pH level and revitalize the root system.
Similarly, farmer Nguyen Van Thiet from Cai Lay District of Tien Giang Province shared that initially, he had reduced water irrigation in his durian orchard to produce off-season fruits in the Lunar month of July. However, because the drought this year is longer, leading to serious water stress, 40 percent of the trees in his orchard are now facing the danger of dying. Over the past month, he has been utilizing specialized organic fertilizers to stimulate root growth and promote the recovery of his durian trees.
In Phong Nam Commune of Giong Trom District in Ben Tre Province, coconut farmer Sau Tam said that the prolonged drought along with high salinity has severely harmed his orchard of 1ha. They produce smaller fruits compared to other years. He has used both organic and artificial fertilizers for tree recovery.
Chairman of the Farmer Association of Hung Khanh Trung B Commune informed that local agricultural experts have helped farmers to apply various solutions to recover the livelihood for fruit trees. Training sessions have been held to teach useful recovery techniques after drought to the locals here as well as those in neighboring communes of Hoa Nghia, Phu Phung, Long Thoi, Son Dinh, Hung Khanh, and Tan Thieng.
Head Vo Van Nam of the Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department of Ben Tre Province revealed the agricultural sector's focus on implementing comprehensive restoration solutions tailored to specific production areas, while also incorporating market-oriented strategies.
Several fruit-growing regions, such as Cho Lach and Chau Thanh, have successfully adopted "salinity avoidance" techniques, including inducing early fruiting before saltwater intrusion or restricting water irrigation during peak salinity periods to produce off-season fruits, which not only earn higher revenues but also protect the orchards. With the onset of the rainy season, farmers are now concentrating on implementing various restoration measures to accelerate the growth of their trees.
The Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Ben Tre Province informed that it has over 2,760ha of orchards, 1,930ha of which are with fruit. The province has issued 15 Production Unit Codes on 443ha of durian to serve both domestic consumption and export purposes.
In light of the increasingly severe climate change, drought conditions, and saltwater intrusion, the agricultural sector is gradually transitioning cultivation practices towards innovative technical solutions to enable orchard owners to adapt to these challenging environmental conditions.
