“Knocking” durian – seems easy but difficult
Xuan Hoa and Ba Trinh are considered the durian capital of Soc Trang province with an area of over 1,000 hectares. During the main season, each day, the amount of durian harvested from each garden can reach several tons of fruit. This is also the time to create stable income for local workers.
Taking advantage of his free time, Mr. Nguyen Van Be Tam in Tien Giang province followed durian traders in Ke Sach. His job is to "knock" durians.
With only a Thai knife in his hand, Mr. Tam quickly climbed up a tall tree, using the handle of the knife to knock on each mature durian. Just like that, on average every day he picks about 7 tons of fruit.
Mr. Tam shared: Normally, just by smelling the aroma, you know the durian is ripe. But the talent of the picker is to know how to assess the ripeness of the fruit before it can smell the fragrance. Like tapping a knife on a fruit and hearing it "pop" means the fruit has begun to ripen and must be removed for consumption in the nearby market to ensure quality when it reaches the consumer. When the knocking sound is harsh and hard, "coong coong", "boong bong" means the durian fruit is not yet ripe.
According to Mr. Tam, through tapping, pickers must understand and feel whether the fruit is old enough to cut or not. Because old fruit has high value, it can be transported and consumed in high-end markets, bringing big profits to traders.
This is what makes durian harvesting valuable. Mr. Tam said the work depends somewhat on each garden and the height of the trees. Tall, perennial trees with large foliage will be difficult to pick. On the contrary, durian trees that have only produced fruit for a few years are easier to harvest. With this job, he is paid from 1 to 1.3 million VND every day.
High salary but not light work
He also cultivates durian but the tree is not yet old enough to bear fruit. These days, Mr. Tran Tu Luong in Ba Trinh commune also goes to the durian gardens in the neighborhood to help the garden owner.
Mr. Luong said that with this job, he has learned more about the farming experience of farmers and has an additional source of income. For transportation and collection work like him, the garden owner will be paid from 300 - 700 thousand VND/day. In rural areas, this income level is also considered very good.
“Even though it is a seasonal job, compared to a stable job, the income is much higher. I help in the gardens and earn a few million dong a month to cover my living expenses and get capital to do business," Mr. Luong said.
According to gardeners, harvesting durian is not like other fruit trees because this is a thorny fruit, picking and collecting is also more difficult, so it requires a lot of labor.
On harvest days, each garden has nearly a dozen people to knock, pick, catch, collect, and transport. Depending on the job, there will be a suitable price.
Normally, people who climb trees to knock and pick fruit are paid the highest, about 1 - 1.3 million VND/day. The remaining jobs are usually paid from 300,000 - 700,000 VND/day, in addition to being supported by the garden owner with food and drinks. Although the work is somewhat difficult and strenuous, everyone hopes that the garden owner will win the season and have an income.
It is expected that the durian crop in Ke Sach will continue to be harvested until mid-June. This year durian not only brings garden owners the joy of a good harvest and good prices, but also brings good income to seasonal workers. locally.
