KPL
Durian is a highly valuable crop with strong market demand due to its widespread consumption. However, cultivating durians presents significant challenges, particularly for those with limited experience, as the survival rate of seedlings is low, and maintenance requires meticulous effort. Despite these challenges, durian commands a high market value and offers substantial income potential for successful farmers.
(KPL) Durian is a highly valuable crop with strong market demand due to its widespread consumption. However, cultivating durians presents significant challenges, particularly for those with limited experience, as the survival rate of seedlings is low, and maintenance requires meticulous effort. Despite these challenges, durian commands a high market value and offers substantial income potential for successful farmers.
One notable example is Mr. Somrak Sibounheuang, a resident of Donglai Village, Bachiengchaleunsouk District, Champasak Province, who has successfully cultivated durians and earned 5.1 billion kip in the past year.
Mr. Somrak has emerged as a model farmer in commercial durian cultivation, significantly improving his family's livelihood. In 2024, his durian sales reached 5.1 billion kip, marking his transition from working with a Thai snow mango company to durian farming, a shift that provided him with financial stability and a steady income. With a background in agriculture, he initially considered rubber tree cultivation but found it too complex, prompting him to pursue durian farming due to its high market demand.
His journey began in 2009, when he planted 600 Montong durian trees on a 4-hectare plot using family funds. However, due to limited knowledge of durian maintenance, 400 trees died in the first year. Determined to succeed, he replanted in 2010, adjusting the spacing to 7m x 7m and refining his cultivation techniques. By 2019, he expanded his plantation by 1.2 hectares, and in 2013, he planted 861 additional trees, bringing his total plantation area to 5.2 hectares.
By 2014, his farm started yielding produce, generating 35 million kip in revenue. By 2020, his harvest reached 25 tons, earning him 880 million kip. In 2024, his output increased to 40 tons, with a market value of 5.1 billion kip.
His durians are distributed both locally and to other provinces, with traders purchasing directly from his farm and via delivery services to markets in Vientiane Capital and Savannakhet Province.
Mr. Somrak's success story exemplifies the potential of durian cultivation as a profitable agricultural venture, highlighting the importance of perseverance, strategic planning, and continuous learning in achieving sustainable success in commercial farming.
KPL
