Arrowroot powder that everyone wants to buy when coming to Nam Dan

Good wishes revive specialty crops

According to Oriental medicine, kudzu is sweet, cool, has the effect of relieving muscle heat, clearing the throat, generating body fluids and quenching thirst, lifting yang and relieving diarrhea, and is often used to treat diseases such as fever caused by external factors, neck pain, headache, measles, high fever and thirst, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, high blood pressure, myocardial ischemia, nosebleeds, vomiting blood, hemorrhoids and tinnitus... Because of its many effects, kudzu starch is increasingly popular and consumers in Nghe An are familiar with the address of kudzu in Nam Dan - a rural area with many of these crops.

Nam Anh countryside, Nam Dan district is located at the foot of Dai Hue mountain, a fertile land, especially suitable for the development of cassava. Born and raised on this land, Mr. Tran Dinh Son - Director of Dai Hue Green Agricultural Cooperative has long cherished the idea of ​​developing the economy from cassava with the people. Through many efforts, persistently supporting the people and his own family to develop the economy, his production facility is now favored by the national market, with very stable production and consumption.

Mr. Tran Dinh Son said that he grew up on this land since he was a child, working with his parents, brothers and sisters in agricultural production, attached to the fields. In addition to rice, corn and potatoes, the Nam Anh region also has a typical agricultural product, which is cassava. This plant is very suitable for sandy loam soil, giving high yield and for a long time has been a hunger-fighting plant for the local people. "According to the test results of the Department of Science and Technology, cassava grown in the Nam Anh region has many outstanding characteristics compared to those grown in other localities. Especially the starch content and minerals, flavor. This is also one of the motivations for me to pursue the determination to build cassava starch into an OCOP product of the province" - Mr. Son confided.

With the development of science, scientists have discovered that cassava roots contain many nutrients and many valuable effects on human health. Gradually, Nam Anh has more and more households growing cassava, making this plant a specialty. Along with that, many households and organizations have also started to produce and trade cassava powder extracted from cassava roots.

The cassava starch production workshop of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative is located in Hamlet 4 (old Hamlet 5), Nam Anh Commune, Nam Dan District. Winter is the cassava harvest season, the facility is bustling with purchasing cassava, then grinding cassava, filtering cassava, drying cassava and other important stages.

Realizing the potential and valuable capital of this agricultural product, from the household economy, in 2019, Mr. Son was supported by the government to establish a cooperative, attract capital and labor, support the people of Nam Anh to consume their hometown agricultural products, produce famous OCOP products with their own way. That is cassava grown according to VietGAP process, processing facilities are tested for food hygiene and safety, pure essence, clean, ensuring drying techniques, eye-catching and attractive packaging.

“At first, it was quite difficult when I had to personally contact, introduce products and connect with consumers. Besides, supporting and accompanying the people - my partners in taking care of the quality of cassava also took a lot of time and effort. Up to now, most of the raw materials that Nam Anh people produce and want to sell are purchased by the Cooperative at market prices" - Mr. Son shared.

The approach of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative is not only to promote agricultural products and sell tapioca starch products to the market, but also to support people in producing raw materials of the highest quality.

Specifically, cassava is harvested starting in October every year. After the harvest, the cooperative will provide seedlings, fertilizers, and agricultural materials for people to reproduce. All investment costs for cultivation are lent by the cooperative without interest.

“During the harvest season, people sell their products to the cooperative. We purchase and deduct the cost of materials equal to the price at the time of supply. At the same time, during the process of planting and caring for cassava, the cooperative always guides and supports people to properly carry out the care steps so that the cassava grows well, has high yield and meets safety standards in the direction of sustainable green agriculture,” said Mr. Tran Dinh Son.

Up to now, each cassava harvest season, Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative consumes about 150 - 200 tons of fresh cassava from farmers mainly in Nam Anh commune and a few in neighboring communes.

In addition, the established cooperative regularly has 7 workers who are paid a salary of 6-7 million VND/month. During peak production seasons, the cooperative also hires local workers.

Product quality is vital in integration

At first, the cooperative's products focused on only one type: pure tapioca starch. "The production process always requires strict technical requirements. Especially the filtration stage. The water used to filter the starch must also be clean and the filtration process must go through 8-10 times," said Mr. Tran Dinh Son.

Each cassava root leaves the homeland and arrives at the factory, its skin is washed, ground and settled through 10 times of water, only the starch is collected and then dried in the shade, not exposed to direct sunlight. On cold, rainy days, it is put into a drying cabinet. With a consumption frequency of about 200 tons of cassava roots, each year the cooperative produces about 26 tons of cassava starch.

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Quang - Vice Chairman of Nam Anh Commune People's Committee said: "Currently, Nam Anh has 10 OCOP products, of which Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative has 7 products, of which the main product is still cassava starch. In Nam Anh, cassava starch is used by most families and is a traditional medicine of the people, with many good effects on human health that have been passed down from many generations. Nam Anh's cassava starch products are recognized as achieving 3 OCOP stars, not only being welcomed by the market in the district and the province, but people said that this product has been sold in many markets outside the province. For cassava starch products of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative, the local government is supporting the cooperative to implement the standards to achieve 4-star OCOP" - Mr. Quang said.

Over the years of operation, Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative has not only contributed to Nam Anh commune in developing OCOP products, but also created jobs and income for many households, contributing to enriching Nam Anh's OCOP products, promoting the local economy to flourish.

Entering the 5th year of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative producing and developing cassava starch products, the cooperative members have also strived to maintain quality and increasingly improve and enrich their products.

From dozens of tons of cassava starch, the cooperative initially only developed one type of canned starch. Now, based on market tastes, Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative has added new products such as lemon-flavored cassava starch and passion fruit-flavored cassava starch.

“This new product is more convenient than the pure type when mixed with lemon or passion fruit essence and sugar in a certain ratio. I also learned this mixing ratio from the experience of Japanese businesses and farmers through training sessions, learning experiences in your country as well as seminars held by all levels and sectors of Nghe An” - Director of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative said.

Up to now, the products of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative are not only limited to the provincial market, but also reach out of the province, to all localities in the country. And the amount of products made is almost not enough to meet the orders. Currently, the cassava starch of Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative meets the 3-star OCOP standard and is making efforts to upgrade the star rating and improve the quality to the 4-star OCOP standard.

What is special is that with the heart and vision of the producer, Mr. Son's tapioca starch products are favored and ordered by many provinces and cities, and are trusted by the district to be introduced to exhibit at many fairs.

Dai Hue Green Agriculture Cooperative is located at Hamlet 5, Nam Anh Commune, Nam Dan District.

Contact phone number: 0384.607.778 - 0383.621.109

Current products of the Cooperative: packaged finished cassava starch 0.5 - 1 kg, types: lemon flavored cassava and passion fruit flavored cassava.

Other products: Five-color tea; turmeric starch; turmeric honey pills; red polygonum multiflorum powder and pills and honey; Nutritional cereal powder; Cereal powder for pregnant women and lactation cereal powder.