Mekong Delta farmers lose durian farms to historic drought and salinity
Farmers in the Mekong Delta are chopping down hundreds of hectares of durian trees that were lost to drought and saltwater intrusion.
For years Le Van Thoi has earned VND600-800 million ($25,800-34,400) a year from his durian farm in Cai Lay Town in Tien Giang Province.
Thanks to the 0.65-hectare farm, the 62-year-old’s family has a financially stable life.
This time last year the durian trees in his garden had started blossoming, in time for harvesting in January.
But this year has been a completely different story for the king for fruit. His orchard looks like it was abandoned a long time ago, around the roots of each tree are pieces of water pipes removed and scattered on the ground, which is dry and cracked. Most of the trees are dead and have turned blackish while their leaves have withered.
Hoang Nam
