A dynamic cooperative chairman

(Baonghean)When mentioning Tri Le - Que Phong, it's impossible not to talk about passion fruit, as it's considered the most effective crop for poverty alleviation here. From an initial experimental area of ​​over 2 hectares, the entire commune has now expanded to over 16 hectares, attracting hundreds of households to participate. One of the contributors to this success is Mr. Vi Thanh Xuan, a resident of Yen Son village (Tri Le) - Chairman of the Agricultural Service Cooperative for Passion Fruit Development.

In September 2010, the District People's Committee initiated a pilot project to cultivate passion fruit on 2 hectares in Tri Le commune. While the plan was in place, the crucial issue now was selecting which households would participate in planting. After being encouraged by commune officials, Mr. Xuan's family and 13 other households in Yen Son village agreed to plant. "At that time, we didn't know what a passion fruit plant looked like or if it would be effective, but because we had faith, we were willing to do it. With support in terms of seeds, fertilizer, and guidance on planting and caring techniques, the passion fruit plants have developed well, and we are very happy," Mr. Xuan shared.

Mr. Xuan's family's passion fruit garden generates nearly 40 million VND in income each year.

In his first harvest, Mr. Xuan earned 12 million VND from his 1,400m2 plot. Compared to cinnamon, passion fruit cultivation yielded significantly higher economic returns. After gaining some experience and with the policy of expanding passion fruit cultivation, he began to encourage people to follow suit. He regularly visited each household, explaining the benefits of passion fruit cultivation, and then worked alongside them. As a result, in 2011, 20 more households in Yen Son village joined the cultivation, increasing the total passion fruit area to 3 hectares. Areas previously used for growing cinnamon and rice, which yielded low returns, were replaced with passion fruit cultivation.

As people began to trust the government's good policies, a new difficulty arose: finding a market for passion fruit. Due to the lack of a stable purchasing channel, the farmers' products were not reaching their full potential. Then, Mr. Xuan and seven other households boldly applied to establish a cooperative. His idea aligned with the district's policy, so in December 2011, the Agricultural Service and Passion Fruit Development Cooperative, chaired by Mr. Xuan, was established with an initial capital of 60 million VND. The cooperative's purpose was to supply fertilizers and pesticides, and to collect and market passion fruit for the farmers.

Since the cooperative was established, all passion fruit products in Yen Son village and many other villages in the commune have found a stable market. The cooperative has partnered with Nghe An Food Joint Stock Company to provide technical guidance on cultivation and purchase products from farmers at market prices. Thanks to this, people feel secure in planting and investing in passion fruit, leading to increased productivity and quality. Each year, Mr. Xuan's cooperative collects and distributes 17-18 tons of passion fruit. Currently, the cooperative's passion fruit cultivation area is 4 hectares and is expanding in the future. Each year, members of the cooperative earn between 30-50 million VND. "We have submitted a proposal to the People's Committee of the commune requesting permission to borrow land to build the cooperative's headquarters. Only then will we have the resources to supply fertilizers and pesticides to the people, which is something they are currently lacking," Mr. Xuan said.

Thanks to his achievements, in December 2010, Mr. Vi Thanh Xuan received a commendation from the Prime Minister for his achievements in studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh from 2007-2010. Mr. Xuan was very happy to receive this honor, but what made him even happier was that the lives of the people were increasingly improving thanks to passion fruit cultivation. He said: "My aspiration is to continue helping people in their economic production process with my abilities. Because, when you help the people, you are helping yourself."

Pham Bang