Busy morning markets

At dawn, the custard apple market in Khuyen village is already crowded. Trucks packed with fruit from orchards across the region arrive in succession, immediately surrounded by traders negotiating prices.

A weighting point of custard apple in Khuyen village.

Though called a market, these are in fact collection and distribution points that only operate during harvest season, usually from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. Transactions are swift and lively.

Despite adverse weather conditions last year, the 2025 harvest has been favorable in both yield and price. Premium-grade fruit fetches between 35,000 and 50,000 VND per kilogram.

“Every day I purchase about 1.5 to 2 tonnes of custard apples and supply them to fruit stalls in Hanoi,” said Nguyen Thi Hau, a trader from Dong Phu with more than a decade of experience. “This morning the quality was excellent, so in less than an hour I filled a 2.5-tonne truck.”

Farmer Nguyen Van Dung from Lien Giang village, who cultivates more than 1,000 custard apple trees aged 7 to 10 years, said his family has been working almost around the clock.

“For nearly a month, my wife and I wake up at 2 a.m. to harvest by flashlight so the fruit is ready for market,” he said.

Favoring organic fertilizer, Dung’s orchard has produced larger, higher-quality fruit this year. So far, his family has sold 2.5 tonnes, earning nearly 100 million VND, with more set aside for off-season harvests.

At Suoi Van village’s collection point, buyers carefully pack the fruit into foam boxes of 25 to 40 kilograms for transport to Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hung Yen and beyond. Local cooperatives producing custard apples under VietGAP standards are seeing strong demand this season, with orders matching supply.

According to the provincial Division of Plant Production and Protection, Bac Ninh province has over 2,200 hectares of custard apple orchards, yielding about 16,000 tonnes this year – an increase of more than 1,000 tonnes from last year.

As of August 17, some 300 tonnes had already been harvested, selling for 30,000 to 50,000 VND per kilogram. Nghia Phuong alone accounts for more than 1,000 hectares – nearly half the province’s total – with an estimated 8,000 tonnes of fruit. In previous years, custard apples generated local incomes of about 400 million VND per hectare, several times higher than rice or other crops.

Maximizing the crop’s value

Custard apples have been cultivated in Nghia Phuong for decades, becoming a key economic crop for this mountainous commune. In recent years, local authorities encouraged farmers to switch from rice fields with poor irrigation to fruit trees, particularly custard apples, and to expand cultivation under VietGAP and organic standards.

Favorable climate and soil conditions have combined with farmer innovation in cultivation techniques. Nghia Phuong pioneered supplemental pollination methods to extend the harvest season and avoid sudden gluts that depress prices. Pruning after harvest is also widely practiced.

Farmers typically harvest around 60% of their crop in peak season and treat the rest for later harvest at the end of the year. Beyond the popular local variety, some growers are turning to Thai custard apples, which produce two crops annually. The Thai variety is favored for its large size – 800 grams to 1.2 kilograms per fruit – thin skin, sweet white flesh and fewer seeds.

To support farmers, Nghia Phuong commune has promoted branding efforts such as establishing cooperatives, registering geographical indications, introducing QR codes for traceability, and using branded packaging.

About 105 hectares have been certified under VietGAP standards. Since 2021, custard apples from the Nghia Phuong cooperative have been recognized as a three-star OCOP product under Vietnam’s “One Commune, One Product” programme.

Despite expanding acreage and growing recognition of quality, market development remains a challenge. Most sales still rely on small traders and traditional markets.

Local farmers and officials are calling for state support in applying advanced processing and preservation technologies to keep fruit fresh longer, diversify products and open new markets both domestically and internationally.

Custard apples have long been the pride and livelihood of Nghia Phuong. With better branding, modern techniques and expanded markets, growers hope the sweet fruit will not only continue to enrich their community but also gain wider recognition beyond Vietnam’s borders.

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