Rattan on Xiangyang land

(Baonghean) -In early May 2010, Oxfam Hong Kong decided to pilot a rattan seedling development model in Vang Mon village, Yen Hoa commune (Tuong Duong). Up to now, the project has been implemented for more than 2 years and has really brought initial results, contributing to opening a way to help the Thai ethnic people here eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.



Rattan nursery of Mr. Chu Van Nghe, Vang Mon village, Yen Hoa commune (Tuong Duong).

We visited the rattan nursery of 8 households in Vang Mon village. Participating in the pilot model, people are actively implementing the stages of planting and fertilizing. Some are loosening the soil, some are making pots, some are trimming grass, watering... It is known that from the time of sowing the seeds to the time of shipping, a batch of rattan seedlings takes 18 months.

The nursery and care techniques are not too complicated, just need to regularly monitor, water, and trim the grass for the seedlings to grow well. Participating in the rattan seedling development project is very suitable for the actual conditions of the people here, contributing to solving employment, taking advantage of surplus labor, increasing income and improving the quality of life. The households participating in the livelihood project of Oxfam Hong Kong in Vang Mon village (Yen Hoa) in the first batch had quite high income, the highest household up to 27 million VND, the lowest household also at 15 million VND.

Mr. Vi Van Mau, an officer in charge of Agriculture in Yen Hoa commune, affirmed: “Although it has only been implemented for more than 2 years in Yen Hoa, the rattan seedling development project has shown its effectiveness and direction. In the near future, the commune will propose to expand the model to open up new business directions, helping people have more income and stabilize their lives...”.

Tuong Anh