After more than 10 years of experimenting with intercropping fruit trees in his coffee garden, Mr. Phạm Đình Dũng (Đăk Kđem Hamlet, Đăk Ngọk Commune, Đăk Hà District) has begun to enjoy “sweet fruits” in the form of high economic returns. On the same plot of land, he grows coffee, durian and avocado—clearly demonstrating the dual advantages of this model.
In the past, like many other local farmers, Mr. Dũng planted only coffee on his 3,000 m² plot. In 2005, when coffee prices dropped sharply, he considered replacing coffee with fruit trees. But reluctant to cut down his coffee trees, he decided to intercrop fruit trees and wait to see how they developed.
He bought 11 golden-flesh, small-seed durian saplings from Bến Tre and planted them. During the process of care and observation, he realized the durian trees did not hinder the growth of the coffee plants. So he decided to keep both crops. Remarkably, both coffee and durian produced high yields and strong economic returns, giving his family a “double benefit.”
“At first, I just wanted to try a new crop,” Mr. Dũng recalled. “Unexpectedly, the trees suited the soil and grew very well. Four years later, the durians started bearing their first fruit; by the fifth year, harvests were stable. Initially, because I didn’t fully understand the techniques, fruit set was low and ripening uneven, so prices weren’t great. In 2011, I asked my son to research proper care and disease management online—methods to encourage early fruiting and even ripening—and applied them. From then on, our durians bore heavily: small fruits weighed a few kilograms, large ones 5–6 kg, and early-ripening fruit sold for higher prices. Last year, at an average price of 45,000 VND/kg, I earned over 80 million VND from durian; this year prices ranged from 45,000 to 90,000 VND/kg and I sold about 120 million VND worth. One tree alone fetched a lump-sum sale of 20 million VND.”
In recent years, Mr. Dũng’s durians have become well known among connoisseurs. Many people come directly to his home or order by phone. What sets his fruit apart is that he always lets the durians ripen and fall naturally—never harvesting early—and only sells when the fruit is perfectly ripe.
Leading visitors through his coffee garden heavy with cherries and interspersed with towering durian trees laden with young fruit, Mr. Dũng pointed out: “See, the coffee not only isn’t harmed, it bears even more fruit than in monoculture because it benefits from the nutrients applied to the durian. The durian trees also benefit from the care given to the coffee. Intercropping really is two-for-one. For me, durian began as the secondary crop, but now it brings in two to three times the income of coffee.”
Encouraged by his success, in 2012–2013 Mr. Dũng boldly expanded the model by planting avocado trees among another 4,000 m² of coffee. Last year the first avocados produced a small harvest; this year nearly all the avocado trees are fruiting.
“To intercrop effectively you must be careful and precise in pruning and in sharing sunlight among all the plants,” he explained. “Coffee thrives under moderate light, so when durian and avocado are planted at the right spacing it’s easy to balance light for all three. Durian and avocado provide shade and windbreaks for the coffee and reduce irrigation needs in the dry season. Most importantly, intercropping protects us from losses when coffee prices fall—we still earn income from the fruit trees. Moreover, durian and avocado prices remain high and stable, so overall income is even greater.”
Inspired by her father’s success, Mr. Dũng’s daughter, Ms. Phạm Thị Lượm, has adopted the method too. Her coffee garden includes both durian and avocado trees. With about 20 durian trees already producing their first fruits this year, she earned nearly 30 million VND; next year the avocados will begin bearing as well.
Intercropping fruit trees in coffee plantations proves to be an excellent way to diversify crops, save farmland and boost economic returns. It is emerging as a sustainable direction in agriculture—helping farmers avoid the risks of single-crop dependence and increase income on the same area of land.