Golden Tree opens the way out of poverty
In 2018, Mr. Hoang Van Quy (42 years old) in Nong Thom village, Phieng Cam commune decided to bring 1,000 crispy pink trees from Moc Chau to plant instead of regular pink trees.
After a period of diligence in care, his family's rose garden began to produce blize. And the real joy will come in 2023, when the rose garden will have a stable harvest.
According to Mr. Quy, crispy persimmons grown in Phieng Cam ripened nearly half a month earlier in Moc Chau. Since the beginning of August, traders have come to the garden to buy at 30,000 VND/kg.
"From 2023 to now, his family's rose garden has generated an average income of 200 - 250 million VND per year. This is an income that before, growing corn and cassava for a decade, I did not dare to dream of" - Mr. Quy shared.
Mr. Quy's story quickly inspired Phieng Cam. The Thai and H'Mong people in Nong Tau Thai and Nong Tau Mong villages boldly renovated their ornamental gardens and switched to growing crispy persimmons.
In the 1,000m2 garden of Mr. Sung A Cho's family (44 years old), Nong Tau Mong village, the 2-year-old crispy pink trees are growing green. Previously, this area was used to grow cat apples, with low productivity and low efficiency.
Mr. Cho said that, realizing the clear economic value of crispy roses, his family was determined to convert ineffective land to growing roses. Currently, in addition to the 2-year-old rose garden, his family has more than 1ha of roses that have been harvested.
"Compared to growing corn and cassava, crispy persimmons bring in outstanding income. Realizing the effectiveness, many households in the village have also begun to switch to growing this type of tree" - Mr. Cho said.
From barren land to a crispy pink "hamlet"
Phieng Cam is located at an altitude of over 1,000m, with a cool climate and soil suitable for crispy roses to grow. Therefore, the roses here are big, sweet, crispy and popular with the market.
According to Mr. Cam Van Thoat - Chairman of the Commune Farmers' Association, Phieng Cam currently has about 8 hectares of crispy pink plantations. High yield, up to 20 tons/ha.
"The Commune Farmers' Association has proposed that the government create conditions for people to visit and learn about crispy pink growing models in Moc Chau and Van Ho communes to gain more experience in productive farming" - Mr. Thoat shared.
Mr. Dang Tien Dung - Chairman of Phieng Cam Commune People's Committee said that the commune is developing a project to expand the area of crispy roses to many other villages. At the same time, it is encouraged that rose growers often gradually switch to crispy rose grafts to achieve higher productivity and efficiency.
"In the coming time, the commune will support seedlings and open training courses for people to master the techniques of planting and caring for crispy pink trees" - Mr. Dung said.
On a land that was once only used to corn and cassava, crispy pink trees have been awakening their potential, opening up sustainable livelihoods for ethnic minorities in the Son La highlands.
For people in the highlands, the collection from a few tens to hundreds of millions of VND per crop is no different from a dream. The crispy pink is not only helping poor people in the mountainous areas of Son La have money to repair their houses and send their children to school, but also bringing new confidence in the path to getting rich right in their fields.
