From areas along the Lo River that used to only grow corn, beans, and peanuts with low economic efficiency, many households in Tan Long commune, Tuyen Quang province have boldly switched to growing mulberry and raising silkworms and gradually rising to become well-off, according to VNA.
In the 2000s, some households in Tan Long commune brought mulberry plants for trial planting on sandbanks along the Lo River. Thanks to being suitable for soil and climate conditions, mulberry plants grew well and gave stable yields. From a few initial households, to now the whole commune has about 40 households growing mulberry and raising silkworms with an area of more than 16ha, mainly concentrated in hamlet 10.
According to Ms. Khuong Thi Thuy - Head of the Economic Department of Tan Long commune, in the past, people in alluvial grounds mainly grew crops, low income, and life faced many difficulties. When mulberry growing and silkworm farming developed, many households had stable jobs, built spacious houses, and gradually improved the quality of life.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan's family, hamlet 10, Tan Long commune is one of the households that has been attached to silkworm farming for many years. For more than 20 years, this profession has become the main source of income for the family. On an area of about 0.7ha of mulberry, each year his family raises 8-9 batches of silkworms, achieving a yield of about 60kg of cocoons/batch. After deducting expenses, the family earns nearly 100 million VND/year, many times higher than growing corn or rice before.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Dong's family, hamlet 10, Tan Long commune, also stabilized their economy thanks to converting nearly 7,000m2 of alluvial land to mulberry cultivation. Currently, his family earns more than 100 million VND/year from selling silkworm cocoons.
According to Mr. Dong, the economic efficiency of mulberry growing and silkworm farming has led many households in the village to boldly convert areas of low-efficiency corn and galangal to mulberry cultivation. Up to now, village 10 has 18 households in the profession, and people's lives are increasingly stable and more well-off.
To ensure sustainable development of mulberry growing and silkworm farming, Tan Long commune implements many support policies such as providing seeds, opening technical training classes, guiding mulberry tree care, silkworm farming techniques and disease prevention. The locality also coordinates with cooperatives and businesses to link production and purchase silkworm cocoons to stabilize output for people.
In the coming time, Tan Long commune will continue to encourage the expansion of mulberry growing area, strengthen links with businesses to build a sustainable production chain. At the same time, the locality orients to build village 10 into a traditional mulberry growing and silkworm farming craft village, creating stable livelihoods for people.
