Nghe An farmer first grows Sachi, the 'king of nuts'

As a mountainous commune with favorable land area, for many years, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long has promoted the potential well, converting ineffective crops to pineapple and incense growing, bringing high economic efficiency. In particular, recently he boldly invested in planting 1 hectare of Sachi trees on the hill, this is a very new tree and has not been grown in Quynh Luu district and Nghe An province.

Sachi tree planting model of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long, Quynh Thang commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Viet Hung

Sharing the reason for choosing to test-plant Sachi trees, Mr. Long said: This is a multi-purpose crop, both forestry, agricultural, medicinal and oil crops. Seeds can be processed into many types of food that are good for human health. Sachi trees flower after 3-5 months and harvest fruit after 6-8 months.

In terms of productivity, the first year is about 7 quintals - 1 ton/ha and the second year will definitely yield much higher. The peak productivity of Sachi is from the third year onwards, it can reach 5-7 tons/ha depending on the planting density, the current purchase price of dried fruit is from 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. The age of the tree can reach 15 - 30 years, making the harvest cycle very long.

Taking us on a tour of the garden, Mr. Long shared: “Through research on the Internet, books, and newspapers, I found that Sachi is a tree with high economic value. It only takes one investment to plant it but it can be harvested for many years. If you apply proper planting and care techniques, the tree will grow well, be free of pests and diseases, and bring high economic efficiency. Currently, half of the previously planted area has been harvested.”

Sachi trees flower after 3-5 months of planting and harvest fruit after 6-8 months. Sachi fruits look like five-pointed stars. Photo: Viet Hung

After carefully studying the technical process of planting, caring for and preventing pests and diseases, in August 2019, he boldly invested more than 130 million VND to plant 2,000 Sachi trees on an area of ​​1 hectare and installed more than 650 concrete pillars for the trees to climb.

Being the first local person to risk choosing new tree varieties for economic development, but because the trees are suitable for the soil and climate of the mountainous region, the Sachi garden grows well; to date, half of the area has been harvested.

Sachi fruits will be separated into seeds to import to businesses. Sachi is known as the "king of seeds". Photo: Viet Hung

Currently, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long's model has been studied and replicated by some people in and outside the commune with a total planting area of ​​more than 2 hectares.

Mr. Le Van Nga - Chairman of Quynh Thang Commune People's Committee (Quynh Luu) said that from the initial results of planting Sachi trees, the locality has the orientation to continue expanding the area of ​​planting this crop; focusing on planting in mixed gardens, on hilly land and ineffective sugarcane. At the same time, there will be solutions to support production development, product consumption and strengthen links with businesses to ensure stable output for people.

Sachi tree originates from South America, belongs to the castor oil family. This is a creeping plant, suitable for planting in tropical climates and can grow and develop in many different types of soil. Sachi is considered a multi-purpose plant. Parts of the plant from seeds, stems, leaves, roots are all used to process food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Compared to other oil plants, Sachi has the highest omega content, especially omega 3, 17 times higher than fish oil, nearly 50 times higher than olive oil. Thanks to its invaluable nutritional value, Sachi is known as the "king of nuts".