In the early days of the longan crop, along the communes of Song Ma, Chieng Khoong, Chieng So, Muong Hung, the atmosphere of processing longan became bustling.
The sound of machines running, the sound of people twisting the flesh, arranging trays, and packaging echoed from early morning to late at night, signaling that the longan drying season had begun.
The Song Ma area currently has nearly 7,400ha of longan, more than 4,200ha are being harvested, and this year's output is estimated to reach 50,000-60,000 tons of fresh fruit. The development of drying kilns helps consume large output, increase the value of longan fruit and limit the situation of bumper crops but price drops.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Chairman of Chieng Khoong Commune People's Committee, said that the locality currently has more than 150 longan drying kilns operating. From 2020 to now, 84 households have been supported to invest in processing facilities with a total cost of more than 2 billion VND, contributing to the formation of concentrated processing areas and creating jobs for about 2,000 workers per crop.
In Na Can village, Chieng So commune, Mr. Ca Van Long invested in a drying kiln from 2020 with a capacity of 400-600 tons of fresh longan per crop.
Previously, fresh longans were only sold, so the price was unstable. With drying kilns, we proactively buy for people, maintain product prices and can sell year-round," Mr. Long shared.
His facility creates jobs for 20-30 seasonal workers with income from 150,000-250,000 VND/person/day. Many women and older workers have additional stable income during the season.
Not only helping to consume agricultural products, dried snake farming also promotes production towards commodities. Currently, the Song Ma area has over 700 processing facilities, of which more than 600 furnaces are operating regularly. Drying technology is increasingly improved, helping products maintain beautiful colors, natural sweetness and meet market requirements.
Representatives of Bao Minh Cooperative, Chieng Khoong commune, said that the cooperative's 3-star OCOP longan products are processed from raw material areas that meet VietGAP standards. Thanks to strict control of the production process, the product has a stable domestic market and gradually expanded exports.
Over the past time, Son La province has supported hundreds of facilities to invest in cold storages, drying kilns and processing equipment with a total budget of more than 27 billion VND. This is the foundation to improve product quality, meeting the requirements of export markets.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Vice Chairman of Chieng Khuong Commune People's Committee, said that the locality currently has nearly 900ha of longan. The development of processed products from longan helps increase the value of agricultural products, limiting the situation of bumper crops and price drops. This is also a sustainable direction, both raising the brand of longan in the Song Ma area, creating jobs and keeping people attached to agriculture.
The red-hot drying kilns throughout the longan season not only bring economic value but also create livelihoods for thousands of highland workers, contributing to bringing Song Ma longan specialty to the domestic and foreign markets.
