Barren highland land brings in hundreds of millions of income from growing turmeric

(Baonghean.vn) - In recent years, many households in the mountainous district of Anh Son have planted turmeric on barren land, each hectare giving an economic value of over 300 million VND.

Currently, not only Tao Son commune but also in communes such as Tho Son, Dinh Son, Cam Son, people grow a lot of it, with a total area of ​​over 15 hectares in the whole district. Photo: Thai Hien

Mr. Dao Van Thi's family in village 6, Tao Son commune has 2 sao of barren land, previously planted many types of plants but all failed because the soil was too poor. Determined not to let the land fallow, in 2015, his family invested in buying more than 100 kg of red turmeric seeds for 1.2 million VND.

After the first year of trial cultivation, turmeric was found to be very suitable and developed on this land area, especially with low investment costs, easy care, resistance to all types of pests and diseases, yielding more than 1 ton of tubers/sao. With the selling price of 15,000 VND/kg at that time, after deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of nearly 30 million VND.

Mr. Dao Van Thi's family in village 6, Tao Son commune has 2 sao of turmeric growing for high income. Photo: Thai Hien

Sharing his experience in growing turmeric, Mr. Thi said: "For turmeric to grow well and produce high yields, farmers need to pay attention to planting according to the correct technical process with a distance between plants of 20 - 30 cm; beds 1 m wide; rows 50 cm apart. Before planting, it is necessary to dig a hole 10 cm deep, loosen the soil and then place the turmeric seeds. Then cover with a layer of organic fertilizer and a thick layer of straw to retain moisture. Turmeric can also be intercropped with short-term crops such as peanuts and beans to increase income and create humidity and shade for the plants. After 9 months, turmeric will be ready for harvest."

This year, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc's family in village 6, Tao Son commune planted turmeric on an area of ​​over 1 sao. Comparing the economic efficiency of turmeric with some traditional crops, Mr. Duc said: On the same area, in 2015, the family planted cassava, after harvesting, deducting all expenses, the family only earned 800,000 VND, while for turmeric, after 1 year of planting, the yield was approximately 1 ton, it was also more than 15 million VND.

Turmeric is a familiar plant in life, turmeric is not only used as a spice in dishes but also used in Oriental medicine and folk remedies. Implementing the model and finding a stable output for the product will be the direction to help people expand the scale of turmeric cultivation and increase income in the future.

1 hectare of turmeric on barren land can generate an income of 300 million VND/year. Photo: Thai Hien

The model of converting turmeric cultivation on ineffective land initially opened up a new direction for production development for farmers in Anh Son district. Currently, not only in Tao Son commune but also in communes such as Tho Son, Dinh Son, Cam Son, Tuong Son, turmeric is widely grown by people, with a total area of ​​over 15 hectares in the district. Turmeric is grown everywhere, from gardens to fields, on hillsides and intercropped with some fruit trees, especially on barren land. It is calculated that each sao of turmeric can yield 1-1.5 tons, with the selling price depending on the time from 12,000 - 30,000 VND/kg, 1 hectare of turmeric has an economic value of over 300 million VND after deducting costs.

However, Anh Son farmers are still worried because currently turmeric still does not have a stable output for the product for people to develop long-term, and most families both grow turmeric and find their own places to sell./.

Thai Hien