Na Ngoi (Ky Son) has a good harvest of cassava

(Baonghean) -Since before Lunar New Year until now, the weather in Na Ngoi has always been cold below 6 degrees Celsius.⁰C. In the bitter cold, in the fog and freezing cold, people still diligently dig, dig, carry, and load cassava to the processing team of Economic - Defense Group 4. Seeing the scene of people excitedly carrying cassava to the processing team with the happy spirit of people with a good harvest, I seem to forget the cold.

Purchasing cassava tubers at the Processing Team of Economic Group - Military Region 4.

The sound of people asking each other, “How many quintals, how many tons did our family get?” was so joyful; so happy. In just a moment, the cassava had piled up into a large pile, while the number of baskets containing cassava waiting to be imported were still lined up in long rows, blocking the path. I asked Mr. Vu Ba Po in Phu Kha 2 village: “How much did your family import this time?”. Mr. Vu Ba Po replied: “My family imported more than 7 tons, earning more than 20 million VND”. Mr. Po also told me: “My family still has a lot of cassava that we haven’t harvested yet”.

There are many families in Na Ngoi who grow a lot of cassava like Mr. Po's family. Today, Mr. Xong Giong Thu's family in Ka Noi village also imported 1,500 kg. Mr. Xong Giong Thu boasted: "Our family still has to import for more than 10 days to finish"... Many families grow cassava, so from the day they started purchasing until now, although the first batch has not yet ended, the unit has purchased 270 tons of tubers, produced 53 tons of starch, and processed more than 3,000 kg of finished cassava vermicelli. Each kilogram of Phu-xai-lai-leng brand cassava vermicelli costs 70,000 VND, and is sold out as soon as it is produced.

Witnessing the joy of Mong households during the import of cassava, Mr. Lau Va Chong - Chairman of Na Ngoi commune excitedly said: "Since the Economic - Defense Group 4 brought the project of planting and processing cassava to the people, the lives of Na Ngoi people have changed a lot. Thanks to the income from planting cassava, the poverty rate of the commune has decreased significantly. Up to now, many Mong households here have chosen cassava as the main crop to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. Therefore, the area of ​​cassava planting has continuously increased. In 2012 it was 70 hectares, in 2013 it reached 90 hectares. This year, dozens of households have registered to plant more with an expanded area of ​​over 20 hectares."

In recent years, Economic - Defense Group 4 has determined that along with replicating production models to help ethnic minorities in communes in Ky Son Economic - Defense Zone, developing the economy to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, such as: stabilizing population, supporting land reclamation for rice cultivation, raising cattle and buffaloes, planting Shan Tuyet tea... planting arrowroot is one of the key points. Therefore, the Group focuses on supporting fertilizers, mobilizing and providing technical guidance to help people expand the area of ​​this crop.

Colonel Vi Hieu - Head of Economic - Defense Group 4 affirmed: "In 2014, in order to help people expand the area of ​​​​growing arrowroot, the Group will initially support the people with 400,000 free seed tubers, fertilizers of all kinds, pesticides, production tools and even labor days of soldiers and young volunteer intellectuals, ensuring that the people can plant 20 hectares or more. In the long term, the Group will continue to invest in purchasing machinery and modern processing technology, improving quality, and expanding the market for consuming arrowroot vermicelli products. To achieve the goal of people harvesting, the Group will consume all the arrowroot tubers at high and stable prices."

With the intelligence and efforts of the soldiers and young intellectual volunteers of Economic-Defense Group 4 and the hard work of the people of Na Ngoi, many areas of land that were once barren at the foot of Phu-xai-lai-leng mountain were gradually covered with green leaves, mixed with the red color of canna flowers, making the mountains, forests and villages in Na Ngoi increasingly prosperous.

Nguyen Huy Hoang

Address: 5NK – 129, Vinh City