These days, betel growers in Van Son village, Dinh Ban commune are eagerly waiting for the day before Tet to pick leaves to sell for income.
Among dozens of households growing betel, the households growing large areas are Pham Cong Nhu, Pham Cong Thi, Nguyen Xuan Thuong... with each household growing from 250 to 400 betel plants.
According to Mr. Pham Cong Nhu, his family has been growing betel for many generations. Currently, his family has 250 betel trees, some of which are decades old.
Normally, his family earns about 300,000 VND per day. During Tet, demand is high so the family picks a lot and sells for millions of VND per day.
On December 23, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thuong - President of the Women's Union of Dinh Ban Commune - said that the betel growing profession in Van Son village, Dinh Ban Commune has existed for a long time. The betel leaves here are of outstanding quality with the characteristics of thick, large, fragrant, and spicy leaves that are favored by the market, so they are considered betel leaves for the king to affirm the quality.
Also according to Ms. Thuong, in 2021, the Women's Union of Dinh Ban commune established the Cooperative Group of the betel village offering to the king in Van Son village.
From 30 households when it was first established, the Betel Village Cooperative now has 70 members.
According to the President of the Women's Union of Dinh Ban Commune, normally, each household growing betel leaves here can earn 200,000 to 300,000 VND per day from picking and selling them for pocket money.
During Tet, the demand is high, the price is 3 times higher than usual, so each household earns from 1 million to 1.5 million VND per day.
The price of betel leaves on normal days is about 70 thousand VND/pack (110 leaves) but on Tet holiday, the price is from 200 thousand to 250 thousand VND/pack.
“Betel growing requires low investment costs and little care, but it provides a year-round and quite high income. Women and the elderly can also grow, care for, and harvest. Many households have escaped poverty thanks to betel growing.
Therefore, this traditional profession is being replicated here. Now, in addition to Van Son village, there are many households in Thanh Long village who also grow betel. Surely in the future, there will be more households growing and expanding the area," Ms. Thuong shared.
According to Ms. Thuong, due to the sandy soil characteristics, betel leaves grown in Dinh Ban commune are of better quality than those grown elsewhere. Some people have asked for betel leaves from Dinh Ban commune to grow, but the leaves are thinner and of lower quality than those grown in this locality.
