Need to orient the development of incense root in Thanh Chuong

(Baonghean) - For a long time, the agarwood root has been known as a tree that eliminates hunger and reduces poverty in Quy Chau and Quynh Luu districts. Since 2008, the agarwood root has been spontaneously planted by local people on Thanh Chuong land, many people have even destroyed hybrid acacia trees to plant agarwood roots. However, how to plant and in what area, the local government needs to intervene to have timely instructions to avoid the situation of good harvest, low prices and other consequences.

The Agarwood root tree has been planted in Thanh Nho (Thanh Chuong) since 2006, but it was not until 2008 that it was planted on a large scale in hamlets 7, 8, 9, and 10. In the commune, processing workshops have been established, selling hundreds of tons of dried Agarwood root each year to domestic and foreign markets. This is a raw material tree that contributes significantly to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, helping people stabilize their lives and become well-off.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le's family (Hamlet 10, Thanh Nho Commune, Thanh Chuong) takes care of the incense root tree.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le in Hamlet 10, Thanh Nho Commune shared: “Previously, I grew acacia trees for paper materials, but the efficiency was low, so in 2010 I switched to growing 5 sao of incense roots. Incense roots give high income and are easy to sell, this year I increased the planting area to nearly 1 hectare. Last year, the harvest was 80 million VND, after deducting expenses, the profit was 70 million VND. In the hamlet, there are Mr. Nguyen Sy Suu, Nguyen Sy Tien, Nguyen Cong Vu... who invested a lot, so the income is higher”. Mr. Tran Van Duong's household, in addition to growing 1 hectare, also built 3 drying kilns, 1 flour mill with 20 workers, each year collecting and exporting to the market from 300 to 350 tons of dried incense roots and powder.

Currently, his family has a comfortable life, investing in trucks to transport incense roots to places of consumption. Mr. Tran Cong Sinh (Hamlet 8) added: “I opened a service to collect incense roots, process them into powder and supply them directly to production facilities. There are months when I export over 50 tons, an average of 400 tons/year. In addition to the domestic market, I export a large amount to markets outside the province, mainly Hanoi, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Ho Chi Minh City”. Mr. Tran Ba ​​Binh - Chairman of Thanh Nho Commune People's Committee said: “In the commune, many households have converted their acacia planting area to growing incense roots, increasing the total area to 300 hectares. Incense roots are easy to grow, easy to propagate, require little fertilization, are not picky about soil, have good resistance to pests and diseases, are quick to harvest, and have favorable output”.

In Thanh Thuy commune, Mr. Tran Cong Quy and his wife were among the first to open a farm, bringing in and planting agarwood roots since 2006. With an area of ​​over 3 hectares, each year he earns over 250 million VND. From scratch, thanks to planting agarwood roots and collecting services, the family now has a fairly good economy. Currently, Mr. Quy is planning to pool capital with a number of other local households to establish a limited liability company processing essential oils from agarwood roots. In addition, the Youth Volunteer Corps located in Thanh Duc commune also planted over 20 hectares of agarwood roots; the 12/9 Rubber Plantation has also intercropped agarwood roots on the area of ​​rubber trees that have not closed their canopy, currently, there are 7 hectares and in the near future, it will be planted on the entire area of ​​2,000 hectares of the farm.

The current concern is that, like cassava and eucalyptus, the roots of the plant cause strong soil degradation; the output is unstable; if planted en masse, it can lead to price drops when supply exceeds demand, or there are not enough means of transport to distant markets. Mr. Tran Cong Sinh - who specializes in purchasing and supplying incense roots to factories in and outside the province, admitted: “Currently, the total amount of dried incense roots converted into powder in Thanh Chuong is about 1,000 tons. For this amount, there are stable customers placing orders, but if it increases further, it is necessary to increase marketing to expand the market. Currently, the demand within the province is only about 100 tons/year, the remaining incense powder is mainly consumed in markets outside the province. However, business relationships that want to expand also need time to build a reputation. Recently, the district has a project to build an incense root processing facility in the Ro area. I think only when that factory is completed, or a large company signs a contract, should the incense root material area be expanded.”

Although people grow a lot of incense roots and are tending to expand the area, the annual agricultural report of Thanh Chuong district and communes with growing areas does not show incense roots in the list of crops. Thanh Nho - the commune with the largest area of ​​incense roots in the district, only mentioned the newly planted area in the first 6 months of the year of 32 hectares. Explaining this issue, Mr. Le Dinh Thanh - Head of the Department of Agriculture of Thanh Chuong district said: "Currently, incense roots are not in the group of key crops of the district and the inclusion of incense roots in the development project still has many things to consider. Because of massive planting, traders cannot consume all of it and destroy it, leading to more harm than good. Therefore, the district's policy is not to destroy the acacia roots but only to take advantage of the land, intensively cultivate the existing area and only develop in places with consumption potential like Thanh Nho. Only when there is a factory or a large company signing a firm contract with the growers will the area of ​​raw materials be expanded".

Thus, if Quynh Luu considers the planting of agarwood as an open direction, Quy Chau includes it in the project to build a model of investment and development under the forest canopy, Thanh Chuong is cautious about this crop. However, in the face of the increasing area of ​​agarwood planting, Thanh Chuong district and related sectors need to soon inspect and have specific directions in the planning so that agarwood can truly bring about efficiency.

Article and photos:Thanh Quynh