Hot weather, Yen Thanh pennywort is in high demand
(Baonghean.vn)- During these extremely hot days, people in the mountainous commune of Tien Thanh, Yen Thanh district (Nghe An) go up the hill to dig pennywort to sell to traders, earning hundreds of thousands of VND/day. The demand for pennywort in the summer increases, so all the fresh pennywort available is sold out.
Visiting the mountainous commune of Tien Thanh, Yen Thanh district on these hot days, we see many women carrying full sacks of goods.gotu kolafresh from the mountainous areas to sell to traders.
Following the villagers, we went to the family of Mr. Le Van Quyen and Ms. Tran Thi Thuan in Tay Bac Tien hamlet, Tien Thanh commune.traderspecializes in purchasing pennywort. Ms. Thuan said, after purchasing, we hire workers to process it by washing it thoroughly and drying it in the sun. In hot weather like this, we only need to dry it in the sun for 2 days and the pennywort will be crispy and dry, packaged and imported to facilities that process summer cooling drinks.
"Gotu kola imported for processing facilities must be old so that the powder will be fragrant and delicious. During hot weather, the demand for gotu kola juice is high, so we buy all the available quantity, but the supply here is not enough for the processing facilities. Gotu kola after being pre-processed and dried is sold to processing facilities at a price of 170,000 - 200,000 VND/kg (8 kg fresh, 1 kg after drying). However, the buying season only lasts until August," said Ms. Thuan.
Ms. Le Thi Hoa, a resident of Tien Thanh commune, said that in the acacia areas after harvest, pennywort grows in abundance. Digging pennywort only requires rudimentary tools such as hoes and sickles, picking up as you dig. Those who dig pennywort are usually middle-aged women. Each day, a person can dig 20-30 kg, which is purchased on the spot by traders at 15,000 VND/kg.
"Because of the hot weather, I leave early in the morning until 9am and then rest in the afternoon, and return from 4pm until almost dark. Every day I can sell at least 20kg, and I can earn 300,000 VND from selling to traders, which helps me cover my living expenses," Ms. Hoa shared.
According to Mr. Le Van Quyen and his wife, in addition to Tien Thanh commune, people from some neighboring communes such as Ma Thanh, Lang Thanh and some mountainous communes of Quynh Luu district also dig pennywort for import.
Mr. Phan Van Vu - Chairman of Tien Thanh Commune People's Committee said: Being a mountainous commune, many years ago, the people planted quite a lot of acacia trees for timber and pineapple. The characteristic of pennywort is that it likes to grow on acacia forests after harvest and under pineapple roots, so the people in the commune take advantage of digging them up to sell to traders. The people who dig are usually middle-aged women. The pennywort traders are also local people, so it is convenient for the people to consume.
"Gotu kola is most abundant and delicious in March and April, because at this time it is young and can be used to prepare food. At this time, the gotu kola is old, some traders in the commune buy it to process and sell to powder processing facilities, which is a condition for a part of the people to have a source of income. Gotu kola grows naturally on the hills so the quality is guaranteed," Mr. Phan Van Vu shared.
