Farmers expect from sweet thanh tra trees
In recent years, many households in Dong Thanh ward have boldly converted mixed gardens to growing sweet thanh tra. Thanks to its fairly stable economic value, this type of tree is gradually becoming a production direction chosen by many farmers.
Mr. Huynh Van Hao, a farmer in Dong Thanh ward, said that his family used to grow many types of fruit trees, but the efficiency was not high. After switching to growing sweet thanh tra, income became more stable, so he continued to expand the area.
Sweet tea stems are easy to care for, have few pests and diseases, and the investment cost is not high. In recent years, the selling price has been quite stable, so I am assured to grow them for a long time, and my family is gradually increasing the number of trees," Mr. Hao shared.
According to Mr. Hao, if technical support and good consumption linkage are provided, sweet thanh tra can completely become the main source of income for many households. This helps people feel secure in investing and developing gardens.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Huynh Van Cap, Director of Dong Thanh Sweet Tea Cooperative, said that many households have seen economic efficiency, so they have proactively renovated mixed gardens and switched to growing sweet tea.
Mr. Cap said that in 2021 he mobilized the establishment of Dong Thanh Sweet Tea Cooperative with 10 members participating. By 2022, when the model showed clear effectiveness, the number of members increased to 20.
By 2025, the Cooperative will have 25 members with a total planting area of about 250,000m2. Cooperative members mainly focus on taking care of sweet thanh tra in the direction of concentrated production, gradually improving fruit quality.
Thanh tra is suitable for local soil conditions. Among them, sweet thanh tra has an economic value about 10 times higher than sour thanh tra. When produced centrally and with consumption linkages, the economic value brought is quite stable," Mr. Cap added.
According to Mr. Cap, in the past 3 years, the ward has also supported people with 50% of the cost of buying seedlings, creating conditions for many households to boldly expand the area for growing sweet thanh tra.
Towards a concentrated sweet tea region
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Deputy Head of the KTHT&ĐT Department of Dong Thanh ward, said that the locality is gradually orienting the development of thanh tra trees towards specialized cultivation, enhancing economic value for people.
According to Mr. Hai, the current thanh tra area in the ward reaches more than 41ha, of which nearly 20ha is sweet thanh tra. Many households have boldly renovated mixed gardens, switching to concentrated thanh tra cultivation instead of small-scale intercropping as before.
The area of thanh tra is increasingly expanding, gradually forming relatively large growing areas, creating a new atmosphere in agricultural production in the locality. This shift contributes to improving economic efficiency and stabilizing income for people.
Mr. Hai added that, determining that thanh tra brings high economic value, the Ward Party Committee has included the content of developing thanh tra trees in the resolution, setting a target to increase the area to 100ha by 2030, mainly sweet thanh tra.
According to Mr. Hai, the expansion of the area will be associated with the planning of concentrated growing areas, while strengthening production - consumption links to ensure stable output for local agricultural products.
When the planting area increases and the output increases, the Economic Department will coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade to support bringing thanh tra products to e-commerce platforms, creating more favorable consumption channels for people," Mr. Hai said.
With a clear orientation and the consensus of the people, sweet thanh tra trees are gradually affirming their role as key crops of Dong Thanh ward, contributing to increasing income and promoting sustainable agricultural development in the locality.
