Developing hybrid acacia is difficult
In recent times, Ky Son has benefited from many afforestation projects, thanks to which the area of planted forests in general and the area of hybrid acacia trees in particular in the district has increased. However, the development of hybrid acacia trees here still has many problems and does not bring high efficiency.
(Baonghean)In recent times, Ky Son has benefited from many afforestation projects, thanks to which the area of planted forests in general and the area of hybrid acacia trees in particular in the district has increased. However, the development of hybrid acacia trees here still has many problems and does not bring high efficiency.
Mr. Vi Hong Son's family grows 1.5 hectares of hybrid acacia, of which more than 0.5 hectares were planted in 2008. This means that the area is almost ready for harvest. But currently the price of hybrid acacia on the market is low and there are no buyers, so who to sell to and at what price is what he and many other households are worried about. Because the acacia trees are ready for harvest, the longer they are left, the more they lose value.
In recent times, to encourage people to develop hybrid acacia, the State has had a number of support projects such as 147, 661... When participating in these projects, people are fully supported with fertilizer seeds and are instructed on planting techniques, care and pest control. Poor families are also subsidized with rice every month. Thanks to that, the area of hybrid acacia in Ky Son has reached 65 hectares.
However, after a period of planting, some limitations were revealed. Acacia trees were determined to be suitable for an altitude of about 700 m above sea level, while Ky Son, with its mountainous terrain, is mainly 1000 m or higher. In addition, the harsh weather, often with frost, has significantly affected the growth and development of acacia trees. People have the habit of letting cattle and buffaloes roam freely, so when they were first planted, many areas were damaged by cattle and buffaloes. Moreover, the district is located nearly 300 km from Vinh City and does not have a factory for processing acacia raw materials, so the exploitation and transportation of acacia trees is quite difficult.
According to the people, the current price of acacia is 950 thousand VND/ton, while the transportation cost is nearly 500 thousand VND/ton. The price is low, but buyers are reluctant to go to Ky Son. Talking about the development of hybrid acacia, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - Deputy of the Management Board of the Protective Forest of Ky Son district, proposed: "Currently, hybrid acacia does not bring high economic efficiency. On the part of the unit, we propose that when planting trees, all levels need to carefully study the natural conditions and habits of the people here. It is possible to introduce native tree varieties so that they can grow more easily. And there also needs to be more support projects to increase the area of planted forests."
Currently, some people are no longer interested in hybrid acacia. Moreover, most ethnic minorities still have the mentality of seeing immediate results, so the planted areas are not cared for. Some people have changed the acacia planting area to plant mahogany trees.
Phan Tam
