Na Ngoi (Kỳ Sơn) has a bumper crop of ginger.
(Baonghean)Since before the Lunar New Year, the weather in Na Ngoi has consistently been below 6 degrees Celsius.0C. Amidst the biting cold, the fog, and the freezing temperatures, the people diligently dug, gathered, and carried ginger to the processing team of the 4th Economic-Defense Brigade. Watching everyone excitedly carrying ginger to the processing team with the joyful spirit of a bountiful harvest, I almost forgot about the cold.
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| Purchasing cassava tubers at the Processing Team of the 4th Economic and Defense Brigade. |
The sound of people asking each other, "How many quintals, how many tons did your family get?" was truly joyful and heartwarming. In just a short time, the ginger had piled up into large mounds, while the number of baskets filled with ginger waiting to be unloaded lined up in long rows, completely blocking the pathways. I asked Mr. Vu Ba Po in Phu Kha 2 village, "How much did your family get this time?" Mr. Vu Ba Po replied, "My family unloaded over 7 tons and earned over 20 million dong." Mr. Po also told me, "My family still has a lot of ginger that we haven't had time to harvest yet."
Many families in Na Ngoi, like Mr. Po's family, grow a lot of arrowroot. Today, Mr. Xong Giong Thu's family in Ka Noi village also imported 1500 kg. Mr. Xong Giong Thu boasted, "My family still needs to import for more than 10 days to finish it all..." Because many households grow arrowroot, since the start of the purchasing period, even though the first phase is not yet over, the unit has already purchased 270 tons of tubers, produced 53 tons of starch, and processed over 3,000 kg of finished arrowroot vermicelli. Each kilogram of Phu-xai-lai-leng brand arrowroot vermicelli costs 70,000 VND, and is sold as soon as it's produced.
Witnessing the joy of the Mong ethnic minority households during the ginger planting season, Mr. Lau Va Chong - Chairman of Na Ngoi commune - excitedly said: “Since the 4th Economic-Defense Brigade brought the ginger planting and processing project to the people, the lives of the people in Na Ngoi have changed a lot. Thanks to the income from ginger cultivation, the poverty rate in the commune has decreased significantly. To date, many Mong ethnic minority households here have chosen ginger as the main crop to alleviate poverty. Therefore, the area planted with ginger has continuously increased. In 2012 it was 70 hectares, and in 2013 it reached 90 hectares. This year, dozens more households have registered to plant more, expanding the area to over 20 hectares.”
Over the years, the 4th Economic-Defense Brigade has identified that, alongside replicating production models to help ethnic minority communities in the Ky Son Economic-Defense Zone develop their economy and alleviate poverty—such as resettlement, support for land reclamation for rice cultivation, cattle farming, and Shan Tuyet tea cultivation—the cultivation of ginger is one of its key priorities. Therefore, the Brigade focuses on providing fertilizer support, mobilizing resources, and guiding the people on techniques to expand the area under this crop.
Colonel Vi Hieu, Commander of the 4th Economic-Defense Brigade, affirmed: “In 2014, to help people expand the area for growing arrowroot, the Brigade will initially provide free support to the people with 400,000 arrowroot seedlings, various types of fertilizers, pesticides, production tools, and even labor from soldiers and young volunteer intellectuals, ensuring that the people can plant at least 20 hectares of new crops. In the long term, the Brigade will continue to invest in purchasing modern processing machinery and technology, improving quality, and expanding the market for arrowroot vermicelli products. The goal is to ensure that the Brigade buys all the arrowroot harvested by the people at high and stable prices.”
Thanks to the intelligence and efforts of the soldiers, the young volunteer intellectuals of the 4th Economic-Defense Brigade, and the diligent and hardworking people of Na Ngoi, many once barren lands at the foot of Phu-xai-lai-leng mountain are gradually being covered with the green of leaves, interspersed with the red of ginger flowers, making the mountains, forests, and villages of Na Ngoi increasingly prosperous.
Nguyen Huy Hoang
HT: 5NK – 129, Vinh City
