Ky Son Ginger "hit big"!

Mr. Tho Chong Cho's family packs ginger for sale.

Returning to Tham Hin village, Nam Can commune, we stayed at Mr. Tho Cho Tung's house for quite a while to listen to him tell the story of growing ginger: ginger was planted on a mass scale by the production teams of the Economic-Defense Group of Military Region 4 (KT-QP 4) 4 to 5 years ago, then propagated and popularized to people in the project area, but the ginger tree standing firm as it is today also had many hardships.

In 2004, ginger was priced well because people had only planted a small amount. In 2005 and 2006, people increased the area, so traders forced down the price and at times it seemed that this model would fail. But by the end of 2006 and 2007, ginger grown in Na Ngoi and Nam Can was known in the market inside and outside the province for its quality and price. After that, not only traders in the district bought it, but traders in the northern provinces also came to buy ginger locally. From the end of 2006 until now, although the price of ginger is not high, only fluctuating from 2000-2500 VND/kg, the output is relatively stable, the product is consumed. Therefore, in 4 communes in the project area of ​​the Economic-Defense Group 4, ginger plants have grown quite strongly, almost every household grows ginger. In Tham Hin village alone, Nam Can commune, there are 48 families, and every household grows ginger. In 2007, the largest household harvested over 10 tons, the smallest household harvested over 1 ton of ginger.

Through research we learned that compared to growing rice, corn and arrowroot, growing ginger is easier, has fewer pests and diseases, is less affected by weather and climate, and gives much higher income.

On the way from Nam Can to Na Ngoi, we met Mr. Tho Chong Cho's family who were packing ginger and waiting for the truck to pick up the goods. This year, his family harvested nearly 10 tons of ginger, earning over 20 million VND at current prices. Next year, his family will expand the ginger growing area and experiment with growing off-season ginger to sell at a higher price. Mr. Cho and his wife confided: our family has food and savings thanks to ginger. After selling the ginger this season, his family will buy another motorbike, a larger flat-screen TV, and more buffaloes and cows.

Ginger has helped people in Na Ngoi, Nam Can and Ky Son communes escape poverty. However, this model is still spontaneous, without planning areas and product outputs.

Ginger can become a strong crop of the mountainous district of Ky Son, depending entirely on the levels and sectors finding sustainable output and planning ginger growing areas reasonably. Only then will ginger no longer have to worry about "good harvest, low price" like other agricultural products.

Article and photos: Mr. Quoc Chinh -5NK- 129, Vinh, Nghe An