Facing a lack of buyers, tens of thousands of rattan seedlings are... 'dying of old age'.

(Baonghean.vn) - Tens of thousands of rattan seedlings in a project supporting people in Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong district, Nghe An province) are dying of old age because no one is coming to buy them. Previously, the people were promised they wouldn't have to worry about finding buyers.

The rattan nursery of a group of households in Dinh village, Chi Khe commune, Con Cuong district, is still unable to sell its plants even though the rattan trees are past their optimal planting age.

According to calculations by rattan seedling growers, the rattan seedling nursery in Nam Dinh village, Chi Khe commune, Con Cuong district (Nghe An province) currently has over 10,000 seedlings that have been past their marketable date for more than half a year. According to Mr. Le Van Bao, the nursery manager, the nursery has been in operation since 2014, as a result of a project aimed at developing the value chain of rattan and sedge plants in the area. The project was invested in and implemented by the Vietnam Institute of Plant Breeding Research, headquartered in Hanoi, in collaboration with OSPAM Hong Kong.

According to some members of the rattan seedling nursery group, when the project was launched, representatives from the Plant Breeding Research Institute promised to purchase the rattan seedlings. For the first two batches while the project was underway, the Con Cuong district government organized the purchase of rattan seedlings from the aforementioned group and distributed them to the resettled Dan Lai households in Thach Ngan commune for planting. The rattan seedling nursery project ended in November 2015. However, prior to that, in March 2015, those implementing the project still provided seeds, fertilizer, and financial support (400,000 VND per group per month) to the rattan nurseries for the new production season. When the rattan reached marketable age, the people were still waiting for the project to purchase the seedlings and did not know where or to sell them.

The tree nursery project ended prematurely, leaving the group members feeling cheated. Many were upset, calling it a "dark cloud" project, a "discarded project"... "If we had known this, we wouldn't have bothered with the nursery; planting bananas on that land would have been more profitable," said Mr. Le Van Bao.

The "dark cloud" pattern of households in Dinh village.

During the discussion, Mr. Lo Hong Minh, Chairman of the Chi Khe Commune People's Committee, stated: In reality, the rattan planting project only provides support in terms of seeds, fertilizers, and cultivation techniques. The project's goal was to organize training in rattan and bamboo weaving for the people, but currently, not many people are still practicing, so it's impossible to establish a vocational group.

According to local government representatives, the fact that some officials previously in charge of the project have transferred to other positions is also a reason why the rattan seedling nurseries in Chi Khe have not received adequate attention. In that situation, the people should have proactively sought buyers, as some localities like Tuong Duong and Ky Son still have a demand for rattan seedlings.

The young rattan plants have grown to head height, yet they still languish, waiting for buyers to come.

Not only in Con Cuong, but in recent times, many projects promoting the value of rattan and bamboo have been implemented in other mountainous localities in Nghe An province. However, for these initiatives to be effective, more appropriate attention from all levels of government is needed.

Vi - Phuong