Unlocking the potential of seedless persimmons

On the hillsides of Ban Va Village, Yen Hoa Commune, seedless persimmon trees are growing well, opening up a promising new production model for local farmers. From an initial trial of just 40 trees, farmer Mac Van Long has gradually developed a nearly 2-hectare orchard with more than 340 trees, over 140 of which are now producing stable yields.

Mac Van Long of Ban Va Village, Yen Hoa Commune, tends to his family’s seedless persimmon orchard.

In 2012, after graduating from high school, Long was admitted to the Faculty of Chemistry at Viet Tri University of Industry. However, realizing that the field was not suitable for him, he decided to leave university and return to his hometown to seek a new path for economic development.

Recognizing that seedless persimmons had long been grown by local people in Ban Va, producing fragrant and sweet fruit well suited to the local climate and soil, Long began researching ways to turn the crop, which had previously been grown mainly for household consumption, into a commercial agricultural product.

Without formal agricultural training, he studied technical materials, learned from online sources and gained experience through repeated trials. Despite setbacks, including failed seedlings and unsuccessful grafting attempts, he remained determined to improve his techniques and continue cultivating the trees.

After his first persimmon trees grew well and produced fruit, Long expanded the orchard, sought out quality mother trees, and taught himself techniques for grafting and propagation. In 2025, his family’s orchard produced more than four tonnes of persimmons, generating nearly VND100 million in revenue.

Mac Van Long shares his experience with households growing seedless persimmons in Ban Va Village.

Beyond developing his own family’s livelihood, Long has actively shared his knowledge and provided technical guidance to other households in the village. Seeing that local farmers were interested in growing persimmons but faced difficulties sourcing seedlings, he established a nursery using selected mother trees. The family’s nursery now has nearly 1,000 seedlings.

Hoang Van Chan, Head of the Ban Va Village Front Committee, praised Long for his willingness to share his experience. From cultivation and care techniques to propagation, Long has provided practical guidance, encouraging more households to introduce seedless persimmons to their hillside farmland.

Starting with just a few households, seedless persimmons have gradually spread across Ban Va. More than 20 households in the village now cultivate nearly 5 hectares, with over 2,000 trees, many of which have begun producing fruit.

Ma Dai Duy, Chairman of the Yen Hoa Commune Farmers’ Association, said Long’s model has gained traction because local people can see its tangible results. In the coming period, the Farmers’ Association will continue promoting the model, providing technical assistance and encouraging households to form production linkages to gradually increase the value of seedless persimmons.

From the first experimental trees, a growing seedless persimmon-growing area is taking shape in Ban Va, raising hopes of turning the locality’s hillside land into a sustainable source of livelihoods and helping increase local incomes.

Thu Trang