The value of cinnamon
One morning in May, mist still covered the hillsides in Xuan Ai commune, Lao Cai province, Mrs. Ly Thi Sanh and a few family members were present in the cinnamon forest of more than 5 hectares behind the house. The sound of knives pruning branches and peeling cinnamon peels resounded evenly amidst the characteristic fragrant essential oil smell of the mountains and forests.
“Previously, my family only grew corn and cassava, so we were short of money all year round. Since switching to growing cinnamon, life has become much more stable. Each year, I earn several hundred million VND from selling cinnamon bark, branches, leaves and seedlings,” Ms. Sanh shared.
In Xuan Ai, cinnamon is no longer a secondary crop but has become a "savings" for many households. The special thing is that almost every part of cinnamon has economic value. Cinnamon bark is sold to pharmaceutical and essential oil processing facilities; branches and leaves are used to distill essential oils; wooden trunks are used to produce household appliances and handicrafts.
Similarly, many localities such as Bao Yen, Bac Ha or Bat Xat are also expanding the area of cinnamon and non-timber forest products. According to the agricultural sector, Lao Cai province currently has more than 60,000 hectares of cinnamon and thousands of hectares of medicinal herbs, tea under the forest canopy and temperate fruit trees.
If in the past people mainly relied on exploiting planted forest timber, now the thinking of forest economy has changed. Many households take advantage of the area under the forest canopy to develop cinnamon, purple cardamom, cardamom or high-value medicinal plants.
In Ta Phin, Ms. Giang Thi Do has converted nearly 2 hectares of ineffective upland land to grow artichokes and angelica under the forest canopy. She said that this model helps maintain soil moisture, limit erosion and earn income many times higher than growing corn.
There are years when families earn more than 200 million VND from selling medicinal herbs. More importantly, we don't have to destroy forests to farm like before" - Ms. Do said.
According to many highland people, the most precious thing from the non-wood forest product development model is not only money but also creating stable jobs right in their hometowns. Many young workers no longer have to leave their villages to work far away when forests have truly become a "source of livelihood".
From keeping the forest to getting rich from the forest
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - a forest ranger in Bac Ha - said that in the past, many people only saw the forest as a place to exploit timber or expand production land. But when cinnamon and medicinal plants brought stable income, people began to proactively preserve the forest.
If cinnamon wants to be good, it must retain land and water. If medicinal herbs want to develop, the forest canopy must be intact. Therefore, people now consider the forest as a precious asset that needs to be protected" - Mr. Hung said.
In recent years, Lao Cai has also oriented the development of forestry economy towards multi-value. In addition to expanding cinnamon raw material areas, localities also focus on developing medicinal material areas.
Some businesses have invested in factories to process cinnamon essential oil, herbal tea, and OCOP products from herbs to improve product value instead of selling raw materials. Cooperatives also linked with people to build organic-standard growing areas, aiming for export.
Leaders of the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment said that the development of non-timber forest products not only helps increase economic value on the same forest area but also creates sustainable livelihoods for people in mountainous areas, especially ethnic minorities.
