Mong people sell stone peaches to earn tens of millions before Tet

Along the route from Muong Xen town (Ky Son) to the highland communes of Huoi Tu, Muong Long, Nam Can, Na Ngoi... these days, people and vehicles are bustling back and forth. Trucks full of peach trees are bustling downstream. Peach traders have been "camping" here since mid-December (lunar calendar) to buy highland products from the people. But the most valuable and profitable item is still stone peaches.

These days, all over the highland roads are bustling with the buying and selling of wild peach blossoms. Photo: Dao Tho

A trader said: “This year, in areas with warm weather, peaches bloom early because of the two intercalary months. On the contrary, in the provinces famous for peach trees in the North, they are covered with ice and snow, making it difficult for peaches to bloom, so this product in Nghe An has an extremely high price.”

This peach blossom branch was sold to traders by people in Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son) for 10 million VND. Photo: Dao Tho

According to this trader, this year, in order to buy a lot of peach blossoms, traders have to hire people to stand by on the roads in the village. Whenever they see people bringing peach blossoms down from the fields, they take them right away; if they are not quick, someone else will buy them. Therefore, the price of peach blossoms is not consistent among traders. Therefore, there are branches that have just been bought for 1 million, but there are people who come to pay 3-4 million. On lucky days, it is normal to earn tens of millions in profit.

Highlanders go to the forest to pick peaches to sell. Photo: Dao Tho

Peach traders at the Nam Can international border gate (Ky Son) also recounted the story of a giant peach branch worth hundreds of millions that was sold on February 3. That morning, someone bought a giant peach branch from the other side of Laos for 80 million. According to the assessment of those present, it was the first time they had ever seen such a beautiful peach branch. As soon as it passed the border gate, someone immediately offered 100 million, but the owner refused to sell.

Not only traders, these days, people in Huoi Tu, Muong Long, Nam Can, Na Ngoi, Tay Son communes... are also busy going to the forest and fields to cut peach trees to sell. Old man Ba ​​Thu, residing in Buoc Mu 1 village (Na Ngoi commune), said: Although he has only been going to the fields to cut peach trees to sell for two days, he has already earned more than ten million. Small and medium branches are easier to bring home but the price is only about five hundred thousand, large branches are beautiful, with flowers and mold, so they can be sold for five to three million or tens of millions.

The original price of this peach branch is 20 million VND. When it reaches the lowlands, traders can sell it for 2-3 times more. Photo: Dao Tho

Old Man Ba ​​Thu said that more than 10 years ago, the road here was just a dirt road, cars could not reach the place, so the peach gardens were planted mainly for the fruit. When the season came, peach trees were everywhere on the fields, blooming bright red flowers all over the hill. The peach branches absorbed the cold air of the highlands, covered in moss from the roots to the tops. Every year, people cut them down, and planted more new trees so that 3-4 years later they would bear fruit. If they wanted to take the branches, it would take 5 years or more, so even though they cut down a lot every year, the peach source was still not exhausted.

In the center of Phu Kha 1 and Phu Kha 2 villages, from morning to night, people continuously bring peach blossoms from the fields to place on both sides of the road. They assign each family member to stand and sell, while others continue to go to the forest to get peach blossoms. "I don't understand why people are rushing to buy so many peach blossoms this year. Seeing that they are buying so much, the villagers also cut them down to sell. I have already marked the price of each branch, so I don't have to waste time bargaining anymore" - Mr. Vu Ba Thang in Phu Kha 1 village said. Dozens of peach blossoms that he has set up are priced from 500,000 VND to 3 million VND.

Peach sellers post prices right on the branches for buyers to choose. Photo: Dao Tho

Vu Ba Thang's house and fields are full of peach blossoms. He said that in the past, in the Mong villages, peach trees grew strongly, but no one knew how to take advantage of that strength to develop the economy, but simply to get the fruit to eat. Realizing that at the end of the year, people from the lowlands often went to the border to get peach blossoms to celebrate Tet, so in 2007, he planted more than 500 peach trees.

Every year, he fertilizes and trims the peach trees so they grow quickly. After 5 years, the peach trees that Mr. Thang planted have been effective. Every Tet holiday, he earns an average of over 30 million VND from selling peach trees. After selling them, he continues to plant them every year so that he can supply peach trees to people in the lowlands every year. He also did not expect that people would like to play with mossy peach trees grown in the forest so much.

Trucks carrying wild peach blossoms are bustling downstream. Photo: Dao Tho

It is known that, grasping the demand for playing with peach blossoms for Tet of people in the lowlands, in recent years, Mong villages in Ky Son and Que Phong districts have grown peach blossoms in their gardens and fields to sell during Tet. And in recent days, every day there have been dozens of trucks carrying peach blossoms to the lowlands. This has helped many peach-growing households earn tens of millions of VND per day.

Traders also make huge profits from digging.