Farmers earn more than 60 million/ha from growing hemp for fiber on alluvial land

Located near the Lam River, the hemp plantation of Mr. Le Van Toan in Lam Son Commune (Do Luong) is lush green. The trees compete to grow with lush branches and leaves...

Visiting the hemp field, Mr. Toan said that he used to work far from home, in 2017, when he learned about the plan to build a green hemp model in Lam Son commune, he returned to his hometown to receive land to plant. At first, he was hesitant, but after hearing the representative of the company providing the seeds say, "If you have planted many types of plants, now plant hemp to see if it will change your life", he decided to "take a gamble" in the hope of changing his life and having income to support his family.

CThe hemp grown on the alluvial land of Mr. Le Van Toan in Lam Son commune (Do Luong) is growing well. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

After receiving hemp seeds, Mr. Toan decided to invest in planting 1 hectare. To improve the soil, he bought 10 million VND of manure, 3 million VND of lime powder, plowed and mixed the manure and lime evenly into the soil. The time to plant hemp seeds was September 2017. After 7 months of planting, in April 2018, the plants gave their first harvest. Harvesting hemp only requires cutting close to the base, putting the tree trunk into a machine to strip the bark to create hemp fibers; the hemp fiber products are used to regenerate fabric.

According to Mr. Toan, hemp is an easy-to-grow plant. The first harvest yield was not high due to the flood, only reaching nearly 2 quintals/ha; but from the second harvest onwards, the yield doubled, approximately 4 quintals/ha. From April to October, 4 crops have been harvested, and the 5th crop is about to reach 4.5 quintals/ha; the total yield of 5 harvests is about 16 quintals/ha.

Hemp fiber products are purchased at 40,000 VND/kg. Photo by Ngoc Phuong

The hemp fiber product is purchased by the seed supply company at 40,000 VND/kg; with 16 quintals of hemp fiber, Mr. Toan earns more than 60 million VND.

With its characteristic of liking hot and humid climate, green hemp is quite suitable for the climate of the Central region, however, it is a water-loving plant but cannot withstand long-term flooding. Hemp grows very strongly and has a tenacious vitality; after harvesting, cut close to the base, the plant grows back and can be harvested again every 45 days; the plant can be maintained for 10 consecutive years of harvest before needing to be replanted.

Realizing that hemp brings high economic efficiency, Mr. Toan planted 1 more hectare. Regarding the variety, he took advantage of pruning the seedlings from the previously planted roots. Transplanting is also very simple; the survival rate of the plants is almost 100%. Up to now, 1 hectare of newly planted hemp has grown well, expected to yield high yields right from the first crop.

Hemp grows very strongly and has a tenacious vitality; the tree can be harvested continuously for 10 years before needing to be replanted. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

Hemp is the first variety of plant grown as a fiber crop in the commune. In fact, Toan's family's hemp plants have brought in a good income, and their products are guaranteed, creating peace of mind for growers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ky - Vice Chairman of Lam Son Commune People's Committee added that, from the economic efficiency of Mr. Toan's hemp growing model, the commune is moving towards converting some areas of ineffective agricultural land to hemp growing to create concentrated production material areas to increase income efficiency in the agricultural production sector.

It is known that in addition to using tree bark as the main material in the production of garments and high-end fashion items, hemp is currently favored by many localities and especially in Thanh Hoa, it is widely grown for export.