Lemon leaves and guava leaves are purchased at high prices by Nghe An traders.
(Baonghean.vn) - Previously, leaves such as guava leaves, lemon leaves... were left to fall naturally, or when pruning branches to create canopy or branches, they were left to dry and rot on the ground. Now, traders buy them at quite high prices.
Mr. Dam Duy Tu's farm (Hamlet 10, Quynh Tam Commune, Quynh Luu) grows 3,000 Taiwanese pear guava trees in an organic way. In order for the guava trees to branch, sprout, flower, and bear fruit in batches, he has to hire workers every two months to prune the branches and trim the leaves. "Each time we prune, we estimate that there are about 2 tons of leaves. For a long time, we have left them to dry and burn them for humus or compost, or let them rot. Since the beginning of this year, a trader in Cua Lo has ordered dried guava leaves, but he has not had time to dry them. Now, it is more convenient for traders to buy fresh leaves."
Accordingly, traders buy fresh guava leaves for 2,000 VND/kg, dried leaves for up to 20,000 VND/kg; and on social networking sites, dried guava leaves are advertised for sale at 90,000 VND/kg. “We collect fresh guava leaves, dry them, and import them to Northern dealers. The guava leaves we buy are neither too old nor too young, and are pest-free. Priority is given to guava leaves from organic farms,” said Ms. Giang Tra, a trader specializing in buying fresh guava leaves in Dien Phu commune (Dien Chau).
According to research, guava leaves contain many active ingredients called berbagia, which have antibacterial properties, tighten mucous membranes, and effectively stop diarrhea. In addition, guava leaves support weight loss, treat allergies, strengthen the immune system, control diabetes, etc. Therefore, currently, many pharmaceutical and functional food production facilities purchase guava leaves.
According to Ms. Giang, after being purchased, guava leaves are selected, washed, dried or dried, and then imported to the North. In the past 2 months alone, Ms. Giang has sold about 1 ton of dried guava leaves to traders in the North.
“If they buy long-term, with stable prices, it will be very beneficial for large guava growers like us, increasing revenue, limiting pests and diseases, and limiting the use of pesticides in cultivation,” added Mr. Dam Duy Tu.
In addition to guava leaves, currently, lemon leaves are also purchased by traders who come to the garden at high prices. “The second and eighth lunar months are when gardeners prune lemon leaves to help the trees flower and bear fruit, so the supply is abundant, so the purchase price will be lower by about 12,000-15,000 VND/kg. At other times of the year, the price ranges from 30,000-35,000 VND/kg, and when there is a shortage, it can go up to 50,000 VND/kg,” said Ms. Hoang Thuy, a trader specializing in purchasing lemon leaves and lemongrass leaves in Lang Thanh commune (Yen Thanh).
After being purchased, the lemon leaves are resold to food processing establishments such as: dried chicken with lemon leaves, dried crickets with lemon leaves, dried corn with lemon leaves, etc.; restaurants, and retail markets. However, a large amount of lemon leaves are sold to wholesalers in the North to process medicinal and chemical products and export to other countries through unofficial channels.
According to Ms. Thuy, the lemon leaves that traders order must be four-season lemons and Vietnamese lemons. The lemon leaves must be green, not too old or too young, clean, beautiful, and free of worms, so people spend a lot of time selecting and picking the leaves. Meanwhile, Nghe An areas such as Nam Kim, Khanh Son, Thuong Tan Loc (Nam Dan), Nghi Cong Bac, Nghi Cong Nam, Nghi My (Nghi Loc), Hung Yen Bac, Hung Yen Nam, Hung Trung (Hung Nguyen) grow lemons for fruit, so at this time, it is hot and they are focusing on nurturing the fruit, so the leaves are not harvested.
Mr. Hoang Van Chuyen, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Hung Yen Bac Commune (Hung Nguyen) said: "Although the main harvest is fruit, farmers usually prune leaves 2-3 times a year. The sale of leaves and lemons is harmoniously combined by people to increase income. Previously, only a few people bought lemon leaves to sell to restaurants, but the demand was not high. In the past 2 years, there have been more buyers and better prices, so many gardeners have also pruned and sold leaves. Accordingly, pruning leaves twice a year in the 2nd and 8th lunar months will not affect the flowers and lemons."
Ms. Tran Thi Ly's family in Hamlet 2, Nghi Cong Nam (Nghi Loc) grows 400 lemon trees, pruning the branches twice a year. The number of leaves is up to a ton, but the amount of leaves sold is only 1/3.
The main source of income is lemons, so to have high productivity, when the lemons flower, you should not cut branches or prune leaves. When the lemons have fruit, you should not prune leaves too much because at that time in the summer, if there are no leaves to shield the sun, the fruit will be sunburned and dry, and the tree will no longer have the strength to nourish the fruit," said Ms. Ly.
Mr. Le Kim Tien's household (residing in Bau Can commune, Long Thanh district, Dong Nai province) has an income of 100 million VND/month, creating jobs for 10 local workers with the model of growing Thai lemons (Chuc lemons) for leaves. According to research, on the online sales site Amazon.com, fresh lemon leaves are sometimes sold for about 7 USD/1 oz, equivalent to 25g. Thus, 100g of lemon leaves costs about 28 USD (635,000 VND), 1kg will cost about 6.35 million VND.
