With many uses, lac resin is especially popular and in high demand in the market. In medicine, it has the properties of cooling and detoxifying. In industry, lac resin is used to make dyes, paints and plating products that require resistance to heat, acid and the effects of harsh climates. Products from lac are also used in the aviation industry to produce and manufacture aircraft, high-end electronics; widely used in pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, etc.
In the 1990s, Ky Son district had hundreds of hectares of ant wings. The red ant wing farming profession appeared in many communes such as Nam Can, Pha Danh, Keng Du, Huoi Tu... Many households escaped poverty, even became well-off thanks to ant wings. In remote forests, there were many "bosses" who raised ant wings on hundreds of host trees, with a harvest of tons of resin such as Mr. Luong Phia Chan in Keo Luc 1 village (Pha Danh commune), Mr. Moong Pho My in Huoi Phuon 2 village (Keng Du commune)...
But now, when coming to this remote district, few people are still enthusiastic about raising red ants, the profession of raising red ants is gradually shrinking. There are households that were once known as "kings of ants" such as Mr. Cut Bun Ma, in Noong De village, Nam Can commune, because there was a time when his family planted more than 500 host trees (pit nieng trees) on 1 hectare of hill garden to raise ants, collecting tons of resin each year; but from 2002 until now, due to lack of seeds and unstable prices, his family has cut down nearly 300 trees.
To learn about the profession of raising ants in Ky Son, we traveled more than 50km to Na Loi commune, one of the few communes where people still raise ants for resin. Climbing up the high forest, this season leeches are jumping around underfoot. While checking the tree trunks where red aphids are clinging, Mr. Vi Van Binh in Ban Na, Huu Lap commune, talked about the profession of raising ants. Living in Huu Lap commune, he went all the way to Na Loi commune to raise ants on more than 100 host trees.
Raising red ants is a traditional profession from our ancestors. Ants are raised on trees with sap such as pit nien, dau thieu, palmyra palm, palmyra palm, even fig trees. This profession does not require too much sophistication. Some households still breed aphids to raise ants.
In October, people start releasing seeds, the aphids reproduce themselves, develop into ants, suck the sap of the tree and then secrete the sap on the tree trunk. “I only release more than 100 host trees for less than a week, only in years when the aphids die, I have to release them again. A host tree usually yields about 5-15kg of sap, the yield depends on the size of the tree, the type of tree with more or less sap, there are some big trees that yield hundreds of tons of sap/year. The collected sap is dried in the yard and then sold, it can be kept from year to year without spoiling” – Mr. Binh said.
In Na Loi commune, there are now only 5-6 households raising red ants. Currently, red ants are sold for 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, but there were times 5-6 years ago when the price dropped to 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg, and there were times when the price rose to over 1.5 million VND/kg. While people's knowledge of raising red ants is limited, according to experience, deforestation has created a source of red ants and the area of host trees has been reduced, according to Mr. Nguyen Sy Son - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district, the instability and fluctuations of the consumer market have also caused the red ants raising profession of ethnic minorities in Ky Son to gradually fade away and shrink.
Ky Son currently has over 150 hectares of red ant host trees in a dispersed form that are suitable for breeding and raising red ant wings, and if it is developed again like the “golden age”, Ky Son district will need at least 10 tons of red ant wing branches each year. It is clear that the green economic method has existed in Ky Son district for a long time. However, due to lack of perseverance and limited application of science and technology, great potential has been lost...
In fact, for green agricultural models when implemented in localities and households, if the technical requirements are too high, it will be difficult for people to adapt and maintain because they are used to traditional methods as well as their limited level of knowledge. That is also one of the barriers to current agricultural product consumption contracts.
Organic tea growers in Hung Son commune (Anh Son) said that although the cost of commercial Matcha tea using technology is higher than that of traditionally processed tea, the effort required is very large, so the profit has not met people's expectations. Not to mention the harsh weather, heavy rain, and frequent flooding every year in Nghe An are also challenges for green agricultural models.
In addition to limitations in science and technology, remote terrain, price barriers, consumer confidence in clean or not really clean products, confidence in farming methods, product quality requires producers to really raise awareness for the community, comply with clean production processes such as: VietGAP, Global, VietGAHP for households...
For example, to produce organic rice, production requirements must comply with strict regulations, strictly follow organic processes, and complex rice production techniques from sowing trays, transplanting, not using pesticides, and applying completely organic fertilizers... While the number of households participating in rice production is too large, it is difficult to synchronize the production process.
And not to mention organic rice, but right from the consumption output of products produced according to VietGAP standards, there are currently shortcomings and are not attractive. The price of rice products produced according to VietGAP standards is only equivalent to the price of normally produced products, but the productivity is often lower and the cost is higher. There is no connection between production and product consumption or the connection is not strong," said Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee.
That is the biggest challenge in maintaining and expanding the area of VietGAP and organic rice production, which is also a common situation in localities in the province. In addition, persistently doing communication work, promoting products to the public, stamps, labels of origin of the products are complete.
The Technical Cooperation Project on Agricultural Development Planning in Nghe An was implemented according to the Minutes of Discussion signed between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the People's Committee of Nghe An province on October 15, 2015.
The project objectives are: To develop a “Master Plan for Industrial Development of Nghe An Province” and an “Action Plan” to achieve the objectives of the master plan through the introduction of “Contract Agriculture” to promote the product value chain in Nghe An Province. After 4 years of implementation, the results show: Establishment of the Nghe An Agricultural Market Forum. This forum has built a database of participants in the value chain; organized promotional activities related to agricultural products in Nghe An; collected and provided market information to participants in the value chain.
Japan has built 42 pilot projects, the project has created 12 models of food value chains including oranges, grapefruits, potatoes, local chickens: Ky Yen oranges, Con Cuong oranges, Con Cuong eco-tourism, Hung Son organic tea (Anh Son), Quynh Luong vegetables (Quynh Luu), Quy Chinh vermicelli (Nam Dan), protective forests... After the implementation process, it has raised people's awareness of clean agricultural production, supporting the construction of value chains.
However, during the implementation process, not all projects were successful. Mr. Tran Minh Hoan - Chairman of Hung Son Commune People's Committee said: The model of producing clean Matcha tea using Japanese technology is difficult to replicate in the area. The reason is that when applying these models, it is very difficult to implement in the long term because the farming practices, climate, and environment in Japan are very different from Nghe An in general and Hung Son tea area in particular, thus forcing people to adapt.
As mentioned, the Japanese project and Nghe An province have established a master plan and an action plan for agricultural development in Nghe An. After the project ended, the People's Committee of Nghe An province established the Management Board of the Agricultural Market Forum in Nghe An province in Decision 2082/QD, according to which the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development advised the People's Committee of the province on the contents of connecting supply and demand of agricultural products and building product value chains.
The projects that JICA Japan "holds hands to guide" along with social media and social needs are increasingly urging start-up movements to serve the green economy and green consumption, which are the premises for the bold ideas of the young generation to resonate with State policies to be more effective and the green economy to be more stable.
In 2015, the Hanh Phuc Agricultural Cooperative (Hamlet 1/5, Tan Thang Commune, Quynh Luu District) was established by Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh. The products of this cooperative are pineapple, beans, sesame, peanuts produced at Hanh Phuc farm and each product is also named Hanh Phuc.
Starting a business quite late after having to travel everywhere to make a living. Putting all his capital and passion into it, but for Nguyen Van Hanh, profit is not number 1, the most important thing, the core value that he pursues is sustainability, green, clean, organic production. He is persistent and steadfast with the goal he has chosen. “When I was still working as a train driver, every time I returned to my hometown, seeing people abusing chemicals in farming, the land being infertile, the environment being polluted made me always worried. Choosing to start a business with clean agriculture means knowing that it will be hard, the profit in the beginning will not be high, but it is a sustainable direction, an inevitable trend. Producing clean agricultural products is good for health, and with health comes happiness.
After nearly 10 years of focusing on clean farming, the cooperative's agricultural products now have a foothold in the market, are positively received by consumers, and have higher prices than similar agricultural products on the market," Mr. Hanh confided.
Visiting the “Sun and Wind” farm with an area of 12 hectares of Lam River alluvial land in Trung Son commune (Do Luong), we were quite surprised to see weeds under the rows of sweet melon, bitter melon, and gourd… green. The grass was knee-high, interspersed under the climbing gourd roots.
Guessing the customer's question, Ms. Nguyen Thi Chinh, the farm owner, said: "The alluvial land, alluvium is deposited every year, so we just need to plow and sow, occasionally add self-composted fish fertilizer. Weeds grow, only clean when the plants are still low and small, but when beans, squash, peanuts have grown high, let the grass grow naturally, it helps keep the soil moist, protect the plants from root erosion. When all the grass is harvested, we cut the grass, collect it, add yeast to make humus, and return to fertilize the soil; the fertilizer is completely from small fish in ponds, rivers, and sea fish soaked to fertilize; pesticides are also not used, only herbs are used to spray. Therefore, grass and vegetables also exist in parallel, the soil is not discolored, hardened..." And with the criteria of delicious, healthy and clean, every day, tons of vegetables, tubers, and fruits of this farm are not enough to supply the supermarket system in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa.
Currently, in Nghe An, there are many green startup models, pursuing organic farming and clean agriculture. Walking through many shops, paper cups, paper bags, and safe straws have appeared in many places instead of nylon bags and plastic cups before. The need for green consumption has motivated many Quy Chau farmers to devote themselves to weaving fabrics from banana stems, jute, and silk for export.
Every year, the “Startup and Innovation” competition has attracted hundreds of ideas and projects, including many green agriculture projects. This proves that young people have identified their sense of responsibility and mission to the community, taking market demand as a basis for development…
